











« 





























































































THROWING THE TEA OVERBOARD IN BOSTON HARBOR 

(Page i 2 — "THE BOSTON TEA-PARTY") 




History in 
'RHYMES 
AJVV 
JIJVGLES 



<ALEX*AmE\ 
CL<A%ENCE FLICK, PH. C D., 

Professor of European History in Syracuse 
University 


& 




ILLUSTRATED 

BY 

CH%L. 7 . HsAWLEY, C B. P„ 

Associate Professor of Drawing in Syracuse 
University 


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PUBLISHED BY 



Ufte ^aaffiefiL pu6f lifting d>ompariij 


AKRON, OHIO 


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■ * 


THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

Two Copies Received 

NOV. 1 1901 

COPVRIGHT ENTRY 

h<h). i-iqoi 

CLASS fl^XXc. No. 

% o l t L 
copy a 


COPYRIGHT, 1901, 

BY 

THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY 


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1 • • • • 

• • • 

• • • • 


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••• •••• 
• • • • • 




MADE BY 

THE WERNER COMPANY 

BOOK MANUFACTURERS 
AKRON, OHIO 




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Contents 


Alexanders, The Two 

Alfred, King, and the Cakes 
American Civil War 


Antony and Cleopatra 

Aristides 

Arnold, Benedict 

Balboa 

Baltimore, Lord 


Barbary Pirates, The 


Battle of Bennington 
Bunker Hill 
Lake Erie. . 


Lookout Mountain 


San Jacinto 

— Saratoga 

the Little Big Horn. 


- Tippecanoe 51 

Tours ■ 

Trafalgar 

Black Prince, The 

Bluff King Hal 

Boadicea 

Boone, Daniel 

Boston Tea Party, The 

Braddock’s Defeat 


C.ESAR AND Pom PE Y 
California Gold. 

Caligula 

Canute, King .... 


Capture of Ticonderoga, The. . . . 

Cats’ Tale, The 

Cervera 

Charlemagne 

Charles First 

Charles 11 32— L 1 3 

Cincinnatus 

Columbus and Isabella 

Conquest of Mexico, The 

Cook, Captain 

Crcesus 

Cromwell and the Dutch 102-109 


PAGE 


PAGE 

72 

Crossing the Delaware 

73 

. .20-21 

Crusades, The 

.... 21 

38 

C u rfew , The 

114 

. . . 62 

De Soto 

71 

. . . 42 

Dewey, When Came Sailing Home. 

0*7 

.... Ol 

83 

Diogenes 

. ..74-75 

16 

Discovery of America 

18 

98 

Discovery of the Hudson 

24 

. .. 101 

Dolly Madison 

30 

. .. 25 

<( Don’t Give Up the Ship ” 

.'. .. 108 

. . . 54 

Egyptian Sphinx, The 

. . . 64-65 

.. . 73 

Eliot, John . * 

.... 18 

. . . 36 

Elizabeth and Raleigh 

106 

. . . 109 

English Settlements 

.... 25 

. . . 34 

Erasmus 

103 

. . . 60 

Erie Canal, The 

63 

. . . 67 

First Message, The 

36 

... 113 

Forgot His Wooden Leg 

.... 66 

68 

Four Georges 

94 

72 

Franklin, Benjamin 

37 

51 

Frederick Barbarosa 

58 

. . 48 

Frederick the Great 

80 

78 

Garfield and Lincoln 

62 

39 

G aribaldi 

92 

16 

George the Third 

55 

. .. 108 

Genghis Khan 

.... 48 

54 

Good Queen Bess 

27 

12 

Grand Monarch, The 

52 

35 

Grecian Deities 

.... 53 

... 109 

Guillotine, The . 

..... 87 

31 

Gttstavtts Adolphus - « 

. . . . . 92 

42 

Hanging Together „ c 

.... 73 

. . . . 108 

Hannibal 

82 

70 

Hastings, Battle of 

.... 33 

. .. 107 

Henry III 

.... 100 

33 

Henry of Navarre 

86 

77 

Hide and Seek 

.... 79 

riri 
( ( 

Hudson, The Discovery of 

24 

59 

Independence Day 

.... 13 

79 

Ironsides, The 

26 

48 

James I 

49 

. ... 109 

James II 

.... 114 

.32-113 

Joan of Arc 

.110-111 

46 

Jones, Captain Paui 

19 

35 

Katy Did 

28 

71 

King John 

94 

69 

Knight, The . . 

39 

99 

Kruger, Oom Paul 

109 

102-109 

Lake Erie. Battle of 

109 


5 — 


COJSTEJ1TS 


PAGE 

Leonidas 95 

Lewis, The Pious 48 

Lexington, Battle of ' 34 

Liberty Bell „ 13 

Lincoln 62 

Lion and the Boar, Tiie 112 

Lion of the North, The 92 

Little Big Horn, Battle of 72 

Lookout Mountain. Battle of 60 

Louis XIV 52 

Louis Philippe 87 

Louis VII 86 

Louise de la Valliere 103 

Madison, Dolly 30 

March of the Ten Thousand 95 

Mardonius 46 

Marion, General, The Dinner Party. . 45 

Mary, Queen of Scots 40-41 

Mason and Dixon’s Line 44 

Mayflower, The 24 

Mexican War, The 61 

Mexico, Conquest of 71 

Missouri Compromise 113 

Mohammed 84 

Molly Pitcher 14-15 

Monk, The 101 

Napoleon 81 

Navarre, Henry of 86 

Nelson's Blind Eye 78 

Nero 107 

New Orleans, Battle of 67 

Newton, Sir Isaac 55 

Nightingale, Florence 49 

Northmen, The 32 

Old Noll 109 

Oom Paul 109 

Osceola 108 

Penn, William 71 

Perry, Commodore 109 

Peter the Great 93 

Pocahontas 22 

Ponce de Leon 90 

Putnam and Old Whitey 76 

Pyrrhus 43 

Quebec, Capture of 77 

Queen Anne 114 

Raleigh and Elizabeth 106 

Red Man of the Forest, The. 23 

Regicides, The 113 


PAGE 

Remus and Romulus 104-105 

Richard I 0 . <> . « 49 

Roman Geese 80 

Rump Parliament, The 102 

St. Augustine 85 

St. Anthony 85 

St. Dunstan 100 

St. George 17 

St. Patrick 96-97 

Sampson, Admiral 79 

San Jacinto, Battle of 113 

Santa Anna 66 

Saratoga, Battle of 68 

Schley, Admiral 79 

Schoolmen, The 88-89 

Sidney^, Sir Philip 106 

Sitting Bull 51 

Smith, Captain John 22 

Socrates and Xantippe 29 

Spanish Armada, T:ie . . . . . 106 

Spartan Boy^s 83 

Stony' Point, Storming of 69 

Storming of the Bastille 54 

Stuy vesant, Peter . . . 10-11 

Surrender at Yorktown 19 

Tell, William 57 

Teutons, The 86 

Theodoric 113 

Theseus and the Minotaur * 47 

Ticonderoga, Capture of 77 

Tippecanoe, Battle of . 50-51 

Tours, Battle of 48 

Trafalgar, Battle of ........ 78 

Two Alexanders, The 72 

Valley Forge 34 

Victoria, Queen 109 

Wars of the Roses, The 93 

Watt, James 9 

W hat C -esa r Said • • o <, 42 

When Dewey Came Sailing Home. 0 0 • . 37 

Who Said It r c « e <, 45 

Who Settled America ? <, . . 91 

Who Was He? 45 

William and Mary 114 

William the Silent . . . . 91 

Witches 56 

Xantippe . . . • 29 

Xenophon 95 

Yorktown, Surrender at 19 


6 



HE central idea in 
giving these “light- 
footed/’ historical 
rhymes and jingles to the world of 
little men and women has been to meet 
the need expressed by kindergartners, teach- 
ers, and mothers’ clubs, and felt in the 
nursery, juvenile library, and the home. 
During the past few years repeated de- 
mands have been made for interesting 

and instructive sense in Mother Goose rhymes and jingles to replace the 

nonsense. To offset the shallow, aimless babble with things of value dressed 
in an old, attractive style, has been the purpose of these jingling tales. 

The few efforts in this direction have been in prose and illustration 
entirely. The living thing in Mother Goose and all folk-lore — the music, the 
rhyme, the rhythm, the jingle, the play on sounds, the refrain — this is sacri- 
ficed unfortunately for the facts of science, mythology, history, and literature. 
Such works may and do appeal to boys and girls of more mature minds, 

but they do not take the place of Mother Goose for the little folks. The 

sound, the song, and not the thought, is the enduring quality in nursery 
jingles. The original meaning has been lost in most all of them. 

Children love history for the “story” element in it. No other subject 
adapts itself more easily, or with more profit, to the early period of vivid 
imagination and unquenchable curiosity. Great men and women, heroic deeds, 
epoch-making events, interesting facts, world-changing movements — these of 
themselves engage the attention of youthful minds. The educational value 
of history, either in acquired knowledge or in mental discipline, cannot be 
questioned. No subject can do more to prepare the embryonic citizen for 





INTRODUCTION 


the duties of national and wurld-citizenship. Nothing will give a child a 
better idea of time, place, and the world of different people in which one must live. 

The bare historical narrative is not enough for children. It must have 
life, color, and sound. Hence the rhyme is used. Jingles seem to fill niches 
in children’s brains. The form, rather than the thing said, lives in their 
minds, and often the matter is lost while the music still remains. Rhyme 
and rhythm help to recall ideas — even to grown persons. Surviving jingles 
are those developed as universal folk-songs. Mother Goose is our best collec- 
tion. The cry is not raised against the rhyme, rhythm, verse or jingle of 
Mother Goose, for it is conceded that these are essential and helpful ; but 
against the subject-matter — the grotesque, low ideals, the foolishness, the 
crude exaggeration, the bad morals, and the distortions. 

“History in Rhymes and Jingles” is intended, in short, to put new wine 
into old bottles, to clothe what ought to be well-known personages in time-honored 
garments, to set new songs to familiar music, to retain the common forms, rhythm, 
verse, sound, alliteration, and jingle, but to use material of a more elevating 
and instructive character. The effort is not to abolish Mother Goose’s tales, but 
to make them more attractive and useful. This collection is a supplement 
and not a substitute. Of the several hundred nursery rhymes not more 
than half a dozen are on historical subjects, and those are of an inferior 
kind. This volume covers that rich field, and, it is hoped, will find a help- 
ful mission. 

A. C. F. 

Syracuse University. 



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[James Watt , horn in Scotland in 1736 , and died fif Birmingham, England , 
iw IS lit, nuts a famous mechftnican, inventor, and civil engineer. About 1760 , 
he began making experiments in improving the steam engine and invented 
the condensing steam engine in 1765.] 


— 9 — 







( 10 ) 


PETER STUYVESANT 



“Peter StuyOesant 

'vv.v. 

Hippity, hoppity, peggity, peg, 

Goes Peter Stuyvesant on his wooden leg; 
He says this leg is worth to him 
Much more than any other limb. 

And so he stumps about the town, 

And stares at people with a frown, 

It makes the children laugh and shout 
To see old Peter stump about. 

Governor of New Amsterdam, 1647-1664. 

[/fttWremn* (Stt've-sant), born in Holland in 1002, was the last Dutch Governor 
of ticiv York, and died there, on his farm, the BonweriJ {Bowery), Any., 1082.] 


-11 


Z5he 'Boston Id e a -'Party 


Once twenty men in Boston 

«/ 

Thought they’d make some tea; 

They took it from a British ship 
And boiled it in the sea. 

They dressed as Indians wild, that day; 

The secret was kept well, 

For though their names were known to all, 
Of them no one would tell. 

And when the King of England 
Had heard what they had done, 

He sent his soldiers over, 

And thus was war begun. 

o 

[The “ Boston Tea-Party 99 affair forms an early incident in the resistance of the 
thirteen American colonies to the injustice of Great Britain in taxing the people of America 
and in insisting on other repressive and coercive measures. Britain at this era removed 
the tax on tea for her own people , hut retained the tax on the tea sent to and used in the 
American colonies. This caused a rising at Boston, Mass., when British ships, in spite of 
warnings , brought a cargo of tea to the port. On Bee. Id, 1773 , while the tea ships lay at 
Griffin 9 s Wharf, a party of the young men of the town, disguised as Indians, rushed to the 
wharf, took possession of the ships , seized the tea chests, broke them open, and poured the 
contents into the harbor. Britain retaliated, Inf closing the port of Boston to commerce. 

The first fighting of the Revolutionary War shortly followed this episode .] 


— 12 



Liberty 
'Bell 


LIBERTY BELL 


m ARK! hark! hear the bells ring, 

Hear the drums beat and hear the 
band play ; 

Soldiers are marching, 

And banners are waving, 

And children are happy and gay. 

By firecrackers flashing, 

And loud cannons crashing, 

And rockets that reach to the sky; 

By music and dancing, 

And gay horses prancing, 

We know ’tis the Fourth of July. 


Independence Bay 


HIS is the bell that rang 
so loud, 

To tell to all the waiting- 
crowd 

Our country should be free. 

It rang to tell the country round, 

To all who heard that joyful sound, 
That we no longer would be bound 
To kings across the sea. 

[July 4, 1776.] 


— 13 — 






« 


( 14 ) 


MOLLY PITCHER 














Molly 'Pitcher 


« « « « « 


Hurrah for Molly Pitcher! 

The heroine so brave ; 
Her service to her country 
She always freely gave. 


Ever in the thickest fight, 

Where shot and shell were 
flying fast, 

With her pitcher filled with water 
This noble woman passed. 


And soldiers wearied with the fight, 
Or lying wounded on the ground, 
Blessed Molly as she came in sight 
And passed the water round. 


Her husband was a gunner, 

And when he fell beside his gun 
Fair Molly calmly took his place 

And served until the fight was won. 


By Washington was Molly 
praised, 

For this heroic deed; 

An army sergeant she was 
made, 

A pension was her meed. 


A lofty marble marks the spot 
Where lies this woman strong 
and brave ; 

A grateful country raised the 
shaft 

O’er Molly Pitcher’s grave. 


[Molly Pitcher teas the wife of a soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War against 
Great liritain. She distinguished herself at the battle of Monmouth Court House, in New 
Jersey, on June 28, 1778 , by talcing the place of her husband who was hilled while dis- 
charging a cannon. General Washington , who saved the day for the American arms, com- 
mended Molly's bravery and gave her a commission as sergeant .] 


15 



! 'Benedict Arnold 


Benedict Arnold was a very mean traitor, 

Of his own fatherland he was surely a hater; 

By the British well paid 
His trust he betrayed, — 

This wicked man Arnold, the traitor. 

He held at West Point a fortress so strong, 

Which guarded the river when ships came along. 

He offered to sell for office and gold, 

This fortress he knew 'twas his duty to hold, — 

This West Point fortress so high and so strong. 

Young Major Andre a fine English man, 

Was sent to West Point to see the fort’s plan, 

But the Americans caught him, 

And to their camp brought him, — 

This young Major Andre, this brave English man. 

Then Benedict Arnold, the traitor so mean, 

In the patriot ranks was never more seen, 

And poor Major Andre the penalty paid, 

Of that plot at West Point which Arnold had made, — 
That wicked man Arnold, the traitor so mean. [ I78o .] 


B luff King Hal 


ing Henry Eighth, called “ Hal the bluff," 

His heart was hard, his manners rough; 

He thought so much of womankind 
It took six wives to suit his mind. 

I wonder what their names could be, — 

Two Anns, one Jane, and Catherines three. [Reigned 1509-47.] 



— 16 — 



(Ufte x^ainf of Gngfar^iLj 6ra^e @\©orge, 
a 'safianf ftnigftf aT^b true, 

Ho x^a^e a prince// ^oung anc[ fair, 

@K ilragor^ fierce fte x$>feao. 


®Kff Qngfix*>ftmen cjo^o Po^ec| ffte rigftt, 
©yv^ftox^e ^onor ftneao no fainf, 
©y/fto courage x^oaoeiL in e^er^x fig^t. 
MaiLe ftim t^eir patror^ xkii^t. 


Saint Georye is 
J the national saint 
of England, in con- 
sequence of the mi- 
raculous assistance 
said to be rendered 
by him to the army 
of the Christians 
under Godfrey de 
Bouillon dm 
first Crusade. 


'/•'ey de 
iring the I 

" _J 


oKr^cl coften fo 6aftfe fierce tfte^x ru&ftesl, 

(Ufteir gooc[ xtooreL& ooa'S>ir\g ftigft, 

Ho figipt for faitft or freeilom^ cau&e, 

6\eorge aniL GipgfaniL” coax$ f^eir cry. 





Discovery of America 



en weeks of weary sailing 
And not a sight of land. 
“Have patience,” said Columbus 
To his disheartened band. 


One night the wind brought to them 
The breath of flowers sweet, 

And with the light of morning 

What sight their eyes did greet ! 


But the crew had grown rebellious. 

“Just see, this west wind strong, 
Will lead us to destruction — 

Our lives will not be long.” 

Then the strong and calm Columbus 
His sailors cheered once more; 

“ Look at that flock of land-birds, 
We must be near the shore.” 


A beautiful great island 

With many a bloom and bird, 
And such odd-looking natives, 
They really were absurd. 

And then the great Columbus, 
With cope and splendid gown, 
Proclaimed the land as Spanish, 
And put his banner down. 


The natives he called Indians, 

Because he thought he’d found 
The Indies oif from Asia 

For which he had been bound. 

[October 12, 1492.] 



John Eliot 



Iohn Eliot taught 

The Indian to read, 
And instructed him well 
In a good Christian creed. 


If all the white men 

Such kindness had shown 
Much happier times 

Had the first settlers known. 

[Lived 1604-90.] 


— 18 — 



Surrender at or Kto^ann 


he sad war with England 
Was still being fought, 
While like a mouse in a 
trap 

Cornwallis was caught. 

The fleet of the French 
Closed up the bay tight, 

And there on the land 
Were armies to fight 

George Washington led 
Our soldiers that day, 

And good Lafayette 

Took part in the fray. 


When Cornwallis knew 

Captured sure he would be; 

He tried one dark night 
O’er the river to flee. 

And though his stout soldiers 
No courage did lack, 

A wild, blinding storm 

Soon drove them all back. 

When Cornwallis saw 

Thus spoiled was his plan, 

He laid down his sword 
And gave up, like a man. 

[Oct. 19, 1781.] 



Captain "Paul Jones 


HN Paul Jones was a sailor bold,. 

And with his brave crew he scoured the sea; 
is ship, the “ Poor Richard,” was leaky and old, 
But little for that cared he. 

He met the foe on the ocean blue, 

And fought with all his might; 

They sunk his ships and killed his crew, 

But he had won the fight. 

[Sept. 23, 1779-] 



— 19 — 


* 



( 20 ) 


KING ALFRED AND THE CAKES 









KJng Alfred and the Cakes 

King Alfred the Great, in days long ago, 

A battle once fought and fled from the foe ; 

In the hut of a peasant he found refuge and rest, 

And they never e’en dreamed that the king was their guest. 

One day the good dame had made an oat cake, 

Which she left on the hearth for Alfred to bake ; 

She scolded him well when in haste she returned, 

For the king was no cook, and the cake was quite burned. 

[Alfred the Great , King of the West Saxons, reigned 871-901.] 


J+ The Crusades Jhp 

“Listen,” my children, “and you shall know 
About the Crusades of long ago. 

The Moslems captured the Holy Places 
Which angered much all Christian races. 

Then Europe far and wide did ring 
With cries from Pope, and knight, and king. 
And all did rise in wrath and might 
To carry on this noble fight.” 

[From 11th to 13th century .] 


— 21 — 




Pocahontas^CaDtainSmith 


Pocahontas was an Indian maid 
Who roamed the forest free; 
She lived a happy, careless life. 
And danced and sang with glee. 

Her father was a warrior fierce, 
Powhatan was his name; 

He lived within the forest wild 
And hunted there for game. 


There came a stranger from afar, 
A soldier strong and true, 

With face so fair, and curly hair, 
And eyes of sunny blue. 


The Indians seized this warrior bold 
And vowed to take his life, 

They tied him fast unto a tree, 

Then raised the fatal knife. 


Then Pocahontas rushed between, 

Her father’s wrath she braved, 

“ O spare this noble youth,” she cried, 
And Captain Smith was saved. 


[Capt. John Smith teas 
| an English adventurer, 
who early in the 17th cen- 
tury explored the Chesa- 
peake river, and in 1008-9 
became president of the 
colony of Virginia and the 
historian of th e region . lie 
died at London in 1031. 


He | 

'fj 


— 22 — 



3 Red Man of the Forest” — 

Don’t you think that he was 
funny ? 

fie made no cities, houses, ships, 
And had no metal money. 


He built no roads or bridges, 

But through the forest crossed, 
And swam the swiftest rivers, 
And seldom was he lost. 


He made him bows and arrows 
To shoot all sorts of game, 
And tomahawks he fashioned 
To win a warrior’s fame. 


He had no books or papers 

And scorned all kinds of work ; 
His poor squaw built the wigwam, 
Nor did she dare to shirk. 

When on the savage war=path 
The Indian was brave; 

But cruel and revengeful, — 

No foeman’s life would save. 


And while he fished and hunted, 
And with the warriors fought, 
She tilled the ground and farmed it, 
And then her children taught. 

At home he was quite lazy 
And gambled many a day; 

But he was good and kindly — 

Ne’er turned his friends away. 


He could endure great hardship 
And bravely bear all pain; 

He loved all kinds of trinkets, He worshiped the Great Spirit, 

And was quite proud and vain. And thought his heaven would be 

A forest great for hunting, 

And feasting merrily. 


— 23 



! 'Discovery of the Hudson 


0 SHIP went sailing o’er the seas 
With many sailors brave, 

They cared not, in their sturdy craft, 
For wind or tide or wave. 

They hoped by sailing north and west 
To find a shorter way 
To reach the far East Indian Isles 
Than any known that day. 

At last they reached a channel broad, 
But found no China Sea, 

For, as they sailed, it narrow grew, 
And a river proved to be. 


The discoverer of the 
Hudson River teas 
Henry Hudson, a noted 
English navigator. 
After visiting American 
waters , he sailed to the 
Arctic Seas, but his Crete 
mutinied and put him 
in a small boat and set 
him adrift, with eight 
others, and he was never 
heard of again. 


I 

I 


The “ Half Moon ” was the good ship called ; 

The world now knows the fame 
Of Hudson, and for many years 
The river’s borne his name. 

[1609.] 


The Mayflobver 


fi"fl|HE Mayflower, the Mayflower, 
SM Went sailing to the West ; 
Of the men of old England 

She had on board the best. 


There was doughty Miles Standish 
Who a sharp sword could brandish, 

And Elder Brewster so grave, 

Bradford and Winslow, 

Who feared ne’er a foe, 

And Governor Carver the brave. 

[On this ship the English Pilgrims landed at 
Plymouth, Mass., Dec. 21 , 1620.] 


-24 — 



English Settlements 


he oldest English settle- 
ment 

Was made in sixteen 
seven, 

In honor of the sovereign, James, 
Whose name to it was given. 
I hope we always shall remember 
In sixteen twenty, in December, 
The Pilgrim Fathers reached 
this land 

Where they in Plymouth made 
their stand. 

In sixteen hundred thirty-four 
The noble young Lord Baltimore 
With his small and hardy band 
Founded the colony of Mary- 
land. 


In sixteen hundred eighty-one 
That loyal Quaker, William 
Penn, 

Made Pennsylvania his domain, 
With equal rights for all his 
men. 

In sixteen sixty-four 

New Jersey’s colony began, 

With grants from Charles, the 
English king, 

To settle on the Raritan. 

In sixteen hundred thirty-six 
A Massachusetts exile came 

To found Rhode Island’s colony, 
Though Providence he called 
its name. 



The Barbary Pirates 



he Dey of Algiers was a pirate most bold, 

Our vessels he seized, their brave crews he sold. 
He thought Uncle Sam was too busy just then 
To punish his treatment of these noble men. 


By a shot from our cannon this pirate was shown 
That Uncle Sam’s children were best let alone; 

He gave them all back with trembling and fears, 

No more were we vexed by this Dey of Algiers. 

[1805.] 


— 25 — 






[ The soldiers who served under 
Oliver Cromwell , in the middle of the 
17 th century , just he fore the era of the 
Commonwealth in England, were called 
“ Ironsides The name teas specially 
fitting , particularly after the battle of 
Mars ton Moor (July 2, 1644 ) , where 
the covenanting soldiers displayed an iron 
resolution on the field.] 


Around the evening campfire, 
Instead of jest and song, 
These soldiers queer beguiled 
the time 

With sermons dull and 
long. 


But when it came to fighting 
They showed their mettle 
then, 

The world still calls them 
“ Ironsides,” 

Those preaching, fighting 
men. 


The men of Cromwell’s army, 

What curious folks were they; 
When any private soldier 

Could preach, and fight, and pray. 


15 he Ironsides 


— 26 — 




But she was brave and she was strong, 
And most extremely wise. 

She chose the best and truest men 
To help her rule the state, 

And their hard work and counsel wise 
Made England very great. 

Her will was strong, her courage high, 
Her judgment good and true, 

And so she ruled the country well 
And England stronger grew. 

A scholar fine was this great queen, 
And many tongues could speak, 
Made Latin speeches to her lords, 
And scolded them in Greek. 

When Spanish ships upon the sea 
Gave England such a fright, 

She rode on horseback ’mid the troops, 
And bade them bravely fight. 

And her stanch words and martial air 
And noble, stately mien 
Gave strength and courage to the men 
Who loved their maiden queen. 

And- now I think that you must know 
And will not have to guess, 

Why all the people loved her so 

And called her “Good Queen Bess.” 


OME and hear about the queen, 
Yclept, the good queen Bess; 
Why the people called her good 
Can anybody guess? 

Not that she was pious, 

She’d like a trooper swear; 

Not for her sweet temper, — 

In rages fierce she’d flare. 

Not that she was faithful 
To any of her friends, 

She’d turn against her dearest one 
And never make amends. 

Not that she was modest 
About her looks or dress, 

Of gowns she had three thousand, 
This wonderful Queen Bess. 

And she, at three score years and ten, 
Was vain as any girl, 

With painted face and monstrous hoops, 
And wigs all made to curl. 

And she was most ungrateful 
To all who did her good, 

And laid the blame of all her faults 
On anyone she could. 

And not a queen in all the world 
Could tell so many lies; 


[Elizabeth, Queen of England (155S-100.1 ) , daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Bolegn, was 
a vain , vindictive , hut learned woman. She had wise counsellors, however, and ruled England 
well, and so was termed in her dag “ Good Queen .Bess.”] 


27 


m 


Kjaty Did 





| here was a Russian Empress, 

Whose name full well we know, — 
The second Catherine, she is called, 
But if we call her so 
It sounds too long and formal; 

So let us change her name, 

And simply call her Katy, 

’Twill mean to us the same. 


Now let us see what Katy did 
In home or church or state, 
Because, you see, the Russians 
Have always called her great. 

So Katy did, 

Of course she did, 

Some things both good and wise; 
Or else these folks, 

In foolish jokes, 

Are always telling lies. 

She ruled in Russia many years 
With genius, and with might, 

And could have done a world of 
good 

If her actions had been right. 

Her energy and strength of will 
Increased the Russian state, 

And gave to her the name she bears 
Of “ Catherine the Great.” 

But Katy did, 

Bad Katy did, 

So many dreadful acts, 

That he who reads 
Her wicked deeds, 

Must judge her by those facts. 


Her husband was the Emperor, 
Unlucky Peter Third, 

What wicked Katy did to him 
I’m sure you must have heard; 

For he was weak, and she was strong, 
And so this cruel wife, 

To put herself upon the throne, 

She took her husband’s life. 

Yes Katy did, 

Bad Katy did 
This dreadful, cruel deed, 

The tale so sad 
Of Katy bad 
In history you can read. 

There is a little insect 

That hides among the trees, 

And oft his sharp and piping note 
Floats on the summer breeze. 

The only song he ever sings 
Is “Katy did, O, Katy did”; 

Now do you think he means this queen 
Whose actions should be hid ? 

For Katy did, 

Yes Katy did, 

All of these dreadful things; 

Now is the song 
Of Katy’s wrong 
What this queer insect sings r 

[Empress Catherine II. of Russia reigned 1762-96.] 


— 28 — 



Socrates 

and JCantippe 


Wise Socrates once on his doorstep sat, 

A neighbor and he were having a chat; 

Xantippe was scolding, in voice loud and 
clear, 

But to all her harsh words he turned a 
deaf ear. 

At last this cross woman, who always 
loved strife, 

Thought how she could make him hear 
the voice of his wife; 

Some dirty soap-suds from the window 
she poured 

Upon the bald head of her master and lord. 

But Socrates laughed as he wiped his 
wet head, 

And to his shocked friend in a jolly voice 
said: 

“We all of us know, and ’tis really no 
wonder, 

A shower should come down after all 
of this thunder/' 


— Socrates, a famous Greek philosopher, lived 470-399 B.C. 



( 30 ) 


DOLLY MADISON 










IS he 'Burning of Washington 

The President and his family 

Sat down to dine one night, 

When suddenly, through the window, 
There shone a brilliant light. 

/ 

And when the war was over, 

The frightened folks returned, 

To build again the city 

The enemy had burned. 

It was the time of war, you know, 
When people lived in fear 

That any moment to their homes 

The British might appear. 

They built again a Capitol 

Much finer than the old; 

And other public buildings, 

Which took the people’s gold. 

And, sure enough, at last they came, 
No room was there for doubt; 
They set the Capitol on fire, 

And put the guard to rout. 

A new house for the President 

They built again so grand, 

A fitting home for any man 

Who e’er might rule this land. 

The President and Cabinet 

They fled in hot-foot haste, 

And all the people left the town 

The flames had laid to waste. 

And all things fine to furnish it 

The people had to give. 

That pretty Dolly Madison *j* 

In proper state might live. 

But pretty Dolly Madison 

Her senses kept that day, 

She stopped to gather up the spoons 
That on the table lay.* 

* At the White House. 

But one expense was spared them, 

No spoons they had to buy, 

Because bright Dolly Madison 

Without them would not fly. 

t Wife of the President. 

[The burning of the city of Washington took place Aug. 24, 1814, during the War of 

1812 between the United, States and Great Britain, The chief cause of the war was Britain’ s 
insisting on “ the right of search ” on foreign vessels for seamen who had deserted from 
her own warships. The pretext for hurtling the Capitol was the looting and setting lire to 

York ( now Toronto) by Commodore Chuunccy and Generals Drerborn and Bike (April 27, 

1813). In the following year, the British retaliated by blockading American ports on the 

Atlantic, and by sending Admiral Cockburn and General Boss up the Chesapeake river to 
attack Washington , which they did, and gave to the flames the Capitol, the White House, 
and other public buildings.] 


31 — 


S3 5 


The jWorthmen 



■ rom climes of the North 
! The Northmen went forth 

To conquer the whole wide world; 
Rich conquests they made, 

And wherever they stayed 

They o’er them their banner unfurled. 



They landed in France 
With war-axe and lance, 

And settled the northernmost part ; 
To England they went, 

Their energies bent, 

On making another start. 


To old Spain and Greenland, 
America and Holland, 

Italy and Prussia, 

To Scotland and Ireland, 
Portugal and Iceland, 

Among the many races, 
And many other places, 

To island, state, and village, 
They went to rob and pillage. 


The Northmen, or 
Norsemen, were sea- 
rovers and adven- 
turers in the Middle 
Ages. They inhabited 
Norway , Sweden, and 
Denmark, and bands 
of them settled on the 
shores of England 
and France, during 
the 9th and lOth 
centuries. 


So in every land 

With the natives they blended, 
Till on every hand 

Their own race had ended. 



Charles II 




ing Charles the Second was a merry, merry soul; 

A merry, merry soul was he ; 

He loved the dance, he loved the bowl, 

But for England naught cared he. [Reigned 1660-85.] 






Ob, Kino Canute, be was so proud, 
$o very proud was be? 

Re thought by speaking to the waves 
Re could keep back the sea. 


Re loudly bade the waves 
to stop, 

fls in bis chair sat be? 
But onward came (be ris= 
ing tide 

And be was forced to flee. 


[King Canute of England, who ruled from 1010 to 1095, was one of the 
wisest and mightiest monarchs of his age, though in his early years he was 
autocratic and given to cruelty .] 


Jur 'Rattle of Hastings 


Barold the Saxon so young and so brave, 

fought Ulilliam the Borman his country to save, 

But militant the Borman the battle did gain 

And Barold the Saxon that morning was slain. 


[ 1000 .] 



O! that cruel winter in Valley Forge, 
Where Washington’s army lay. 

For houses, they built them huts of logs 
And filled them in with clay. 

They had few blankets and few clothes, 
And scarce enough to eat; 

And often in the snow they tramped 
With bare and bleeding feet. 

% 

But cheerfully those hardy men 
Endured each toil and care, 

When Washington beside them stood 
And nobly bore his share. 


'Battle of 
Lejcington 

JN the fight at Lexington 
The redcoats ran away; 

The farmers chased them with their 
guns, 

And fought them all the day. 

[April 19, 1775.] 


[ Lexington teas the scene of a notable en- 
gagement in the Revolutionary War ( between 
the American Colonies and the motherland 
of Great Britain) . The fight at Lexington 
(11 miles northwest of Boston) occasioned the 
first bloodshed in the war; it included the en- 
gagement at Concord , Mass when the British 
were repulsed by “ minute-men ” under Captain 
Barker. Valley Forge is situated on the 
Schuylkill River, 20 miles northwest of Phila- 
delphia. It is the scene where Washington 
and the American army passed the winter of 
1777—78 amid terrible privations .] 


— 34 



f 

HraddocfCs 

De feat 

f 

ENERAL Braddock knew so much 

That wisdom none could tell him ; 
Now if you listen to my song 

I’ll tell you what befell him. 


Our Washington was then quite young. 
But wise as well as brave. 

And to this haughty general 

Much good advice he gave. 

He was an English soldier proud. 

Who fought in many a battle ; 

And never knew a single fear 

Amidst the cannon’s rattle. 


But General Braddock answered back 

That times were far from right. 

When buckskin colonels tried to teach 

An English general how to fight. 

He sallied forth to fight the French, 

And take their forts away, 

And make the Indian tribes around 

Own England’s powerful sway. 


And so this brave and haughty man. 

To sound of drum and fife. 

Set out upon that fatal trip. 

Where he laid down his life. 

With drum and fife and music fine. 

In pride they marched away. 

And thought it was an easy task 

The savages to slay. 


His men went straggling through the woods. 
Along a narrow dell. 

When suddenly upon their ears 

There burst the Indian yell. 


The bullets flew from every bush. 

From every rock and tree. 

Where hid the skulking coward foe, 

They heard but could not see. 

[Born in Scotland in 1695; killed at Great Meadows (now 
Pittsburg. Pa.l, July 13. 1755.] 


Columbus and Isabella 


OLUMBUS was a sailor bold. 

Who swore the earth was round; 
‘ ‘ By sailing to the east, ’ ’ he said, 
“Some islands can be found.” 


But he was poor and had no ships, 
Alas what could he do ? 

“I’ll go and ask the queen,” he said, 
“I know she’ll help me through.” 



Queen Isabella, good and kind. 

Sold for him every jewel; 

“To disappoint the poor man now,” 

Said she, “would be quite cruel.” 

[1492.] 


— 35 — 


'Rattle of "Bunker Hill 



HE Americans went up Bunker Hill 
One quiet summer night, 

And there they built a wall of earth 
Behind which they could fight. 


When morning came the British troops 
Marched up that steep hillside, 

To storm and take the rebel fort, 

And quell the Yankee’s pride. 


But Prescott told his waiting men, 

“My boys, our powder’s low, 

Don’t fire until you see their eyes, 

Each shot must tell, you know.” 

The Yankees fired, the British troops 
Ran pell-mell down the hill, 

But General Howe then drove them back, 

Though much against their will. 

Again the shots rang from the fort, 
Again the British fled, 

And left behind them on the field 
The dying and the dead. 

A third assault we could not stand 
With all our powder spent, 

And so the Yankees left the fort, 

But fighting as they went. 

[June 17, 1775.] 


ZShe First Message 


|HE first telegraph message 
To Washington went, 
By Morse, the invento,r 
The message was sent. 


The country all waited, 
In reverent awe, 

To witness this test 
Of nature’s great law. 


Then over the wires, 

As quick as a thought, 

Were flashed these words, 

[May 27, 1844.] “What hath God wrought.” 


— 30 — 





'Benjamin FranKJin 


here was an American, 
The wisest of men, 
Whose last name was 
Franklin, 

Whose first name was Ben. 

A printer in boyhood, 

A statesman in age, 

H is conduct was noble, 

His counsels were sage. 

His country called on him 
When she was in need, 

To Paris so fair 

He hastened with speed. 



And there he found help 
Our troubles to end, 

For there in gay Paris 
He oft made a friend. 

Now all the world honors 
This statesman so grave, 
Who spent all his life 
His country to save. 

This noble American, 

This wisest of men, 

Whose last name was Franklin, 
Whose first name was Ben. 

[Lived 1706-90.] 


When BeWey Came Sailing Home 

s is the arch the people built 
When Dewey came sailing home. 

This is the crowd that tramped the street 
And followed the bands that played so sweet, 

Beneath the arch the people built, 

When Dewey came sailing home. 

This is the hero, gray and bold, 

Who sailed for home from countries old, 

To greet the crowd that tramped the street 
And followed the bands that played so sweet 
Beneath the arch the people built 
When Dewey came sailing home. 

[The Public Reception of Admiral Dewey at New York, 
took place Sept. 29-30, 1899.] 



— 37 — 




American Ci'Oil War 


April eighteen, sixty-one 
War in America was begun, 
The South on Sumter 
opened fire 
And roused the Northern people’s 
ire. 

The first great battle of the war 
Was in July, at Bull Run fought, 
When stood the South against the 
North, 

And each the victory sought ; 

For hours they stood in deadly fray, 
And then the South had gained the 
day. 

In February, sixty-two, 

The North their first great victory 
won, 

When General Grant, in four days’ 
fight, 

Captured Fort Donelson. 

In March of eighteen sixty-two, 

The navies tried their power. 

The naval fortunes of the South 
Were broken from that hour 
When met those iron-clads in war, 
The “Merrimac” and “Monitor.” 

On April sixth of that same year, 
At Shiloh, on the Tennessee, 

Was fought that battle most severe 


Where Grant again had victory. 

In August, sixty-two, was fought 
The second battle of Bull Run, 
And when the day in darkness closed 
The South again had won. 

January first, in sixty-three, 

Lincoln declared the slaves were free. 
The South again a victory won 
At Chancellorsville, in May ; 

But sorrow filled each southern heart 
When Stonewall Jackson fell that 
day. 

At Gettysburg, on July first, 

The armies met again ; 

Three days that fearful battle raged, 
And many thousand men 
Were killed upon that fatal field, 
Which to the North did victory yield. 
On July fourth, in sixty-three, 
Besieged with shot and shell, 

After three months of holding out, 
The stronghold, Vicksburg, fell. 

In sixt}'-four the plans were changed, 
Two great campaigns were planned ; 
Sherman marched eastward to the sea, 
And Grant toward Richmond took 
his stand. 



— 38 — 




Hurrah for the 
knight of old! 

So gallant 
and so bold, 

For adventure 
he sought. 

For the ladies 
he fought, 


And his honor 

could never be sold. 


T he 'BlacK. 'Prince 


Fie fought in Scotland and in France, 
So he’d rule in kingdoms three. 

He beat the Scotch, and beat the French, 
But ne’er a crown wore he. 

[ Edward , Prince of Wales , called “ The Black Prince was the son of Edward III. of England. 
He lived between the years 1330 and 1370. At the battle of Crecy in France (Aug. 20, 1340), he 
fought with distinction under his father , the king; in 1330, lie gained the victory over the French at 
Poitiers ; in 1307 , he defeated the Castilians at Navarrete, in Spain ; and in 1300—70 lie stormed 
and sacked the French city of Limoges . ] 


Edward, the Black Prince, 

Was a brave and gallant knight; 
H is armor was of shining black, 
The plumes were snowy white. 


— 39 — 







Mary Queen o_f Scots 

« « « « « 

O lovely Mary, Oueen of Scots, 

So beautiful was she, 

She won the love of many hearts 
Of high and low degree. 

She came one day from sunny France 
To take the Scottish throne; 

So bonnie and so fair a queen 
The Scots had never known. 

O foolish Mary, Queen of Scots, 

She signed her crown away; 

For Rizzio’s love and Darnley’s death 
The people made her pay. 

Upon an island in a lake 

There stood Lochleven tower, 

And there they shut Queen Mary up 
And took away her power. 

But cunning Mary, Queen of Scots, 

From out that castle stole, 

To England’s Queen she fled for aid; 

That was a day of dole. 

For sorrowing Mary, Queen of Scots, 
Was into prison cast, 

For nineteen dreary years she feared 
Each day might be her last. 

And then they led her out to die 
Accused of many plots, 

And that’s the last this world e’er saw 
Of Mary, Queen of Scots. 

[ Mary Stuart , Queen of Seats, teas the daughter of James V of Scotland and 
Mari/ of Guise. On the death of Mari/ Tudor (Mary I.) she made claim to the 
English throne , and so became an enemy of Queen Elizabeth. After her /tight to 
England , she was imprisoned , tried , and finally beheaded at F other i nga y , Feb. S y 
1587 .} 


— 41 — 


Antony and Cleopatra 


O foolish Antony ! 

Why do you stay? 

Don’t you know that Rome wants you? 
You should’nt go away. 


Cleopatra’s beautiful, 

That everybody knows; 

But you are a soldier brave 
And should fight your foes 


I will help you, Antony, 

Said Cleopatra gay, 

We will get our great ships out 
And conquer in the fray. 


In the midst of battle 
Cleopatra fled; 

Antony then followed, 

Foul shame be on his head. 


Then the mighty general, 

And the queen so proud, 

Killed themselves. They could not bear 
The mocking of the crowd. 

B.C.] 


Caesar 


C ./ESAR was a man of Rome 

Who longed to rule the nation. 

He formed a league, and fought the world; 

In short, he licked creation, [Lived 100-44 B.C.] 


What Caesar S'atd 


W hen mighty Julius went to war, 
He sent a message home, 

To tell how he was getting on 
To anxious folks in Rome. 


He did not send a message long 
Of words in grand array ; 

“I came, I saw, I conquered!” 
Was all he had to say. 


— 42 — 



Pyrrhus, King of Epirus, 
Many years ago, 

Marched into Italy 

To fight a sullen foe. 

lie went to help Tarentum, 

A colony of Greece; 

He surely thought the Romans 
Would beg of him for peace. 



He took with him some elephants 
To scare those soldiers brave, 
Who, though they fought with 
all their might, 

Their country could not save; 


Because, you know, they ne’er had seen 
Such mighty beasts before; 

And so they were so frightened 
That they could fight no more. 


Pyrrhus, Kitty of 
Epirus, and kins- 
man of Alexander 
the Great, teas one 
of the greatest gen- 
erals of antiquity. 
In 280 B.C., he. in- 
vaded Italy with a 
great arm y designed 
to assist the Italian 
Greeks a g a i n s t 
Koine, and icon the 
battles of Her acleia 
and Aseultnn. He 
teas however de- 
feated by the Ro- 
mans, in turn, at 
Beneventum . He 
lived 318-272 B.C. 


— 43 — 


Mason and *Di jeon’s Line 


H ow often have I heard 
The orators so fine, 

In stern debate, 

Most fiercely prate 
Of Mason and Dixon’s line. 

And when they loudly thundered, 

How often have I wondered, 

What was this famous line. 

At last I started out to see ; 

What think you that I found ? 

’Twas nothing but a row of stones 
Just set up on the ground. 

And all this wild and noisy talk, 

And all this fuss and bother, 

Meant Pennsylvania on one side 
And Maryland on the other. 

But still these blatant orators 
Went shouting round the land, 

And said that on this famous line 
Our fathers took their stand ; 

And we’d not yield a single inch 
Of what our fathers planned. 

0, how their talk did puzzle me, 

It seemed as if they meant 
That this dividing, simple line 

Went straight across the continent. 

They said it stretched out toward the west, 
The Rocky Mountains crossed, 

And if we yielded up our rights 
Our liberties were lost. 

So then I studied it some more 
And now I plainly see, 

South of this line was slavery’s home, 

But north all men were free. 

Now to our Heavenly Father 
Our grateful thanks we raise, 

That all this talk is over, 

For, in these happier days, 

No need of such dispute have we, — 

Both north and south, all men are free ! 


— 44 — 


General Marion’s Dinner Party 


C ome here, my dear, and listen well, 
While I a story true shall tell, 
About a party held one day 
Within a cypress forest gray. 

A British officer had come 
Far from the sound of gun and drum, 
With General Marion to plan 
Exchange of prisoners, man for man. 

The day wore on — ’twas time to dine, 
And Marion, with manner fine, 

H is foe to be his guest invited, 

And caused the camp-fire to be lighted. 


The officer gave quick assent, 

But all about his eyes he bent, 

And not a thing to eat could see ; 

But still he waited patiently. 

In time, a servant brought a pair 
Of sweet potatoes, baked with care. 
Upon a log he placed them then, 

And to their dinner called the men. 

The Briton’s heart, when he returned, 
With generous admiration burned. 

He said: “ ’Tis vain to take the field, — 
Such men as these will never yield.” 

[1781.] 


* Who Was He? « 


T here was a boy whom people say 
Had never told a lie. 

He once cut down a cherry-tree, 

And made his papa sigh. 


“ Who cut this tree ? ” his father ask’d. 

“ I did,” was his reply. 

Now, tell me who this hero was, 

Who would not tell a lie. 

[Lived Feb. 22, 1732 -Dec. 14, 1799.] 


* Who Said It? « 


W ho said : “ Sink or swim, 

Survive or perish, live or die, 
My heart, my hand, 


To this great cause give I ! ” 

And can you tell 
The reason why? 

[Lived 1735-1826.] 


— 45 — 


f$)j 


Cincinnatus 


if$>! 

rife 


This is the noble Roman Lord 
The man who left the plow, 

To drive away the savage horde 
Who swept the land with fire and sword. 
Their mighty force right soon he broke, 


He placed them all beneath the yoke, 
And made them to the Romans bow. 
His work well done, with noble pride, 
His conquering sword he laid aside, 
And then went back to plow. 


Cineinnatus , the hero of an early Roman legend, horn about 
51!) R.C., teas distinguished for the simplicity and austerity of 
his manners. He teas consul in 4GO R.C., and is the type of the 
patrician agriculturist: he was twice called from the plow to the 
dictatorsh ip > of Rome. 



Mardoniuf 



Where, 0 where, is Mardonius’ navy? 

Safe in the ocean deep, 

Wrecked, 0 wrecked, off high Mount Athos, 
There it’s left to sleep. 


Where, 0 where, is Mardonius’ army? 

Dead in the land of Thrace, 

All destroyed by savage natives, 

Of it there’s not a trace. 


[ Mardonius was a Persian General , killed at the battle of 
Plata-a, 479 R.C., during the Persian invasion of Greece.] 



— 46 — 



“0, Father,” said young Theseus bold, 
“ I pray you let me go 
And kill the monster Minotaur, 

Who brings us so much woe.” 

This monster fierce, part bull, part man, 
Lived in the isle of Crete, 

And every year seven Grecian maids 
Were given him to eat. 


And also seven noble youths 
Were sent him to devour. 

“0, let me go,” young Theseus said, 
“To kill this Minotaur.” 

At length his father gave consent, 

And so he sailed away, 

But told his father ere he went, 

That if he gained the day, 

he’d change the sails upon his boat, 
Which now were solemn black, 

And put up white ones in their place, 
Before he started back. 


He killed the beast, you may be sure, 
And set out gaily home. 

His Father watched upon a rock 
Above the sea’s white foam. 

But happy Theseus quite forgot 
To change his sails of black ; 

His Father saw, from off the cliff, 

The vessel sailing back. 

And when he saw those solemn sails. 
That spoke to him of woe, 

He from the cliff fell headlong down 
Into the sea below. 

— Legendary. 


Theseus , the legendary hero of Attica, was the son ofJEgeus , King of Athens. 
In his lifetime he had many wonderful adventures and, performed many marvel- 
ous exploits . In this respect he ranks next to Hercules , for he captured the 
Marathonian bull , slew the Minotaur , waged tear against the Amazons , teas one 
of the Argonauts 1 and took part against the Centaurs. 


— 47 — 


'Battle of TSours 


“ WAF HAT was battle °f Tours, pa? 

\>\> Wasn’t it fought in France? 
Weren’t the people filled with awe 
When sword clashed with the 
lance?” 

“Ah, my son, ’tis an awful tale; 

How Christian and Arab met 
To battle like a furious gale 

Till blood the ground did wet. 


“ They fiercely fought for seven days 
With thousands of warriors slain; 
The Moslems fled in various ways 
And never came back again. 

“ This, my boy, was a victory 
For the Christian faith so pure ; 
It changed the whole world’s his- 
tory 

And made it Christian sure.” 

[732 A.D.] 


Charlemagne 


harles the Great was a Frankish 
king, 

Who always did his best; 

He made an empire with his sword 
And ruled it in the West. 


He helped the Pope extend the 
church, 

And founded schools to mate; 

So all the world rewarded him 
By calling him the Great. 

[Lived 744-814.] 



Lewis the Pious 


ing Lewis the Pious 
Often will try us, 

Because he had no backbone; 

He fumed and sputtered, 
Grumbled and muttered, 

But never would act alone. 

[Reigned 814-40.] 


Genghis Khan 


Genghis Khan was a terrible man, 
The w r hole of China he overran, 
The Mongol Empire he began 
And conquered all of Turkestan, 
This wicked, heartless, cruel man, 
This horrible, terrible Genghis Khan. 

[1203-27.] 




— 48 — 


'• * 




'Richard I 



ing Richard of the lion-heart, 
He was a gallant knight; 
He went into the Holy Land, 
The Moslem host to fight. 

Brave Richard of the lion-heart 
He started home at last; 

The Austrians seized and shut him up 
Within a prison fast. 

Poor Richard of the lion-heart 
Within that prison pined; 

His minstrel, wandering through the land, 
His master tried to find. 


He sang beneath the prison wall, 

King Richard knew his voice; 

And when he heard that English song 
It made his heart rejoice. 

King Richard of the lion-heart 
To England came again; 

His brother John upon his throne 
Reigned o’er his English men. 

King Richard of the lion-heart 
That wicked brother spared, 

But ruled himself his English iand; 

A throne cannot be shared. 



[Richard I, Kino of England (1189-99) was surnamed the IAon- Heart ( Cmur de Leon). With 
Philip II of France, he led the third crusade to the Holy Land and defeated the Saracens and signed a 
truce with Saladin and left Palestine. He was taken prisoner in Austria on the way hack to England, 
but was afterward ransomed. While besieging Chains, he was mortally wounded by an arrow.] 


Florence Nightingale 


T here once was a sweet English maid, 
Whose life great goodness displayed, 
As a kind, gentle nurse, 

She lightened war’s curse; 

To the wounded and sick she gave aid. 

[Born 1820.] 


James I 


K ing James the First 

Must have been to school, 

For the people called him 
Just a learned fool. 

[Reigned 1603-25.] 

[.lames I of England , son of Lord Darnley and 
Mary, Queen of Scots, was a learned man but a 
pedant .] 


— 49 — 



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Mm 


( 50 ) 


TIPPECANOE 



'Battle of Tippecanoe 


The cruel Indians slyly crept 
To where the white men lay, 
And thought to kill them as they 
slept, 

Before the break of day. 

But Harrison’s men rose up and 
fought, 


And beat them soundly, too, 
And drove them back across the 
marsh, 

In the battle of Tippecanoe. 

Of Tippecanoe, of Tippecanoe, 
The brave white men 
Beat the Indians then, 

In the battle of Tippecanoe. 


battle of Tippecanoe , fought in Indiana Nov. 7, 1811 , by the Americans under 
General Wm. Henry Harrison over the Indians under 11 the Prophet,” brother of Tecumseh . 
Harrison , who was afterward ninth President of the United States , was at this time 
governor of Indiana Territory. The Indians at the period were disaffected , in conse- 
quence of being asked to give up their lands in return for gifts and other compensations , 
and on the Western frontier menaced white settlers. The Shawnee chief, Tecumseh , aided 
his brother in his resistance to the whites, and was an active ally of Britain in the ensuing 
War of 1S12.~\ 


Sitting Bull 

There was an old Indian, named 
Sitting Bull, 

Whose mind with wickedness 
was full; 

The white men he fought, 

Their 

scalp-locks 
he sought, 


This wicked old 
Sitting Bull. 

[ 1837 - 90 ] 


— 51 — 



Z5he Grand Monarch 


There lived one time in bonny France 
King Louis of renown, 

The fourteenth of that famous name 
Who then had worn the crown. 

His people thought him very great, 

He was the “Monarch Grand,” 
Though how that name applied to him, 
I cannot understand. 


When he dressed him in the morning, 

A crowd assembled there, 

To see him wash his kingly face 
And comb his royal hair. 

And when he shaved his regal beard, 
Or splendid clothes did don, 

Or stopped to trim his tender nails, 

A gaping crowd looked on. 


And when he kneeled beside his bed 
To say his nightly prayer, 

The crowd in solemn silence stood 
And gazed with reverent stare. 

When he around the garden walked 
A crowd was at his heels, 

And all the people of the court 
Beheld him at his meals. 


His very medicines he took 
In grand and solemn state, 

With those poor idiots looking on, 
Who thought their king so great. 


But why so great, O, who can tell? 

And who can understand. 

Why one small, selfish, fussy man 
Was called the “monarch grand?” 


— 52 — 



The people prayed to many gods 
In Greece long, long ago. 

Like us, they did not have one God, 
Who is all good, you know. 


Their gods did wrong as well as right, 
And had the faults of man — 

Of course, they had their virtues, too, 
Just as the story ran. 


They lived on Mount Olympus old, 
Yet went where they might please; 
They made themselves invisible, 

And often hid in trees. 


The chief of gods and men was Zeus, 
Sedate, and proud, and strong; 

And after him Apollo came, 

The god of light and song. 


And then there was Poseidon, 
Who ruled the roaring sea. 
And also mighty Ares, 

The god of war was he. 


Then there was lame Hephaestus, 
Who was the god of fire ; 
Hermes was the messenger. 
Whose feet did never tire. 

Hera was queen of heaven, 

And proud as proud could be; 

Athena, queen of wisdom, 

Knew everything, you see. 


Goddess of love and beauty 
Was Aphrodite dear; 

And Artemis was of the chase. 
And hunted all the year. 

And then we find Demeter, 

Mother of earth and grain; 

And last of all was Hestia, 

Who o'er the earth did reign. 


— 53 — 


Storming o_f the 'Bastille 


I N rags and in jags, 

In tatters and tags, 

A mad mob through Paris is pouring; 
With yells and with bawls, 

And fiercest wild-calls, 

Their voices rise into a roaring. 


There were men and their wives, 
With pistols and knives, 

Their clothes with mud all bedraggled; 
And children forlorn, 

All tattered and torn, 

Behind this wild company straggled. 


O, what does it mean, 

This fearful wild scene; 

O, what can these people be doing ? 

Sure the nobles of France 
Will lead a sad dance 

When such mischief as this is seen brewing. 


By the city’s northern gate, 

With its moat and towers eight, 
Stood a prison strong and roomy; 
And many poor men 
Their lives ended when 
They entered this prison so gloomy. 


To storm this Bastille, 

With its walls strong as steel, 
And let all its prisoners out; 

To tear down the gate, 

And its strong towers eight 
Is what this mad mob is about. 


And did they succeed ? 

The tale you may read 
In pages of blood and of tears, 

How fell the Bastille 
And kingdoms did real, 

The fruit of tyrannical years. 

[July 14, 1789.] 


If* 


Daniel Boone 



L ONG years ago there lived a man, 

A hunter bold, 

I have been told, 

Whose greatest hope and constant plan 
Was in the forest vast to stay. 


He built a cabin in the wood 
Where naught was heard 
But forest bird; 

And with his gun and dagger good 
He kept the Indians wild at bay. 

[Lived 1735-1820.] 


— 54 — 


George the T5hird 


QEORGE the Third 
A rumpus stirred 
In his American States, 

By his tax, 

Without relax, 

As history relates. 


This caused a war. 

And only for 

The stubborn whim of a king. 
Blood was spilt ; 

So all the guilt 
Upon his head we fling. 


Colonies 

Thirteen he frees, 

This lord of all creation. 

After the fight, they unite 
To form a mighty nation. 

[Reigned 1760-1820.] 


Sir Isaac jWebvton 


QNCE a boy lay on his back 
In an orchard fair, 

Gazing at an apple-tree 

And the apple hanging there. 


Suddenly to earth it fell, 

The fruit so hard and round ; 
But the boy deep thought revolved 
As he lay there on the ground. 


“What law,” he asked, “controls this fruit 
That falls to earth so straight? 

There must be some controlling force 
Of matter and of weight.” 


He studied o’er the subject long 
While years flew swiftly by; 
And many skilful tools he made. 
Experiments to try. 


At last he studied out the law 
Which governs all creation ; 

The force that rules the universe, — 
The law of gravitation. 

[Lived 1642-1727.] 



The men of New England, so 
stern and so grave, 
Brought many an innocent 
soul to his grave ; 
young and the old, the low 
and the high, 

Were often called witches and then 
had to die. 


If a person was ill or an evil wind 
blew, 

’ Twas done by a witch that every 
one knew ; 

If a cow broke her leg or a horse 
wouldn’t go, 

Or a man had the gout, or a corn on 
his toe, 


Or a babe should take cold, or an old woman sneeze, 

In fact, whatever misfortune you please 
[insaiem,Mass.ini69i-i692^itcn- That happened to any one in that sad day 

craft delusion, prevailed extensively 

When New England was being settled Soilie Unhappy lllOrtal llis life had tO paV. 

by John Eudicott.] L i J l J 


— 56 — 



illiamlell 


In Switzerland 
Where every hand 
Was taught the bow to use, 
Lord Gessler said 
That every head 
Must bow, instead 
Of being dead, 

And none would he excuse. 


Don’t you think well 
Of William Tell 
man so brave and bold ? 
It pleases me 
To know that he 
Bowed not the knee 
To make him free 
those fierce days of old. 


The wicked Lord 
Then drew his sword 
And called for Tell’s small boy ; 
“From off his head 
You shoot,” he said, 

“ This apple red, 

Or both are dead.” 

And then looked on with joy. 


The father shot 
And hit the spot 
And saved his young son’s life ; 
Another dart 
He took apart, 

And shot the heart 
Of that upstart 
And ended thus the strife. 


William Tell teas one of the legendary heroes of 
Switzerland in the straggle of the Cantons for inde- 
pendence , about the year 1213. The story is that 
Tell refused to salute the caj> which the Austrian 
Governor Gessler had hung up in the market-place 
of Altorf as a symbol of Austrian sovereignty . As 
punishment for his contumacy , Tell was ordered to 
place an apple on the head of his little son and 
shoot it off. He did so , though it is related that 
Tell had another arrow in h is quiver, with which , 
had he missed his aim and killed his son , he in- 
tended to shoot the governor. 


Of course, ’tis said, 
And often read, 

That this is not a fact; 
’Twixt me and you 
This tale will do, 

And help us too, 

If not quite true, 

And make us better act. 


— o i — 





Frederick I., stir- JlHd ll* blttlSClf W3$ drOWHCd. 

named Barba rosa, 


Emperor of Ger- 
many , lived between 
the years 1121 and 
1 1 90 . JFis reign 
was chiefly occupied 
by tears against the 
turbulent German 
nobility and by ex - 
jieditions to Italy . 


Do you know, the Germans say, 
Chat to the present hour 
this king is bidden away 
Within a mountain tower? 


Tradition relates 
that lie sits half- 
asleep in a cavern 
near Saltzburg, with 
a long beard , wait- 
ing to reappear in 
his kingdom , when 
the bad world has 
reached its worst. 


every hundred years be goes 
On tbe Tatberland to peep? 
Tf be sees it full of woes, 

Back be turns to sleep. 


When Germany shall unite 
Jfnd live content once more, 
Chen Trederick will with might 
Che State rule as before. 


— 58 — 




® NCE in Egypt long ago 

People worshipped cats, 

And so that land was always free 
From pests of mice and rats. 

But O! those cats, they were a plague, 
No greater could be found; 

No matter what their keeping cost 
No kittens could be drowned. 

These foolish folks once went to war, 
To fight a Persian host. 

And just because they worshipped cats, 
That famous battle lost. 

For when they stood in grand array, 
All ready for the fight, 

And thought to rush upon the foe, 
They saw a fearful sight; 

For every soldier had a cat 
Tied on his breast or shield. 

And so these worshippers of cats 
Dared not their weapons wield. 


They fled the field in sore dismay 
And let the Persians win. 

Because they thought to kill a cat 
Would be a deadly sin. 

— Legendary. 


— 59 — 




wx 


xrvrv. 

[ The battle of lookout Mountain, or as it is sometimes spoken of as 
“ the battle above the elourls,” teas fought .Vo p. 5 14, 1863. With the battle 
°f Missionary Jtidge, it formed part of the lighting around Chattanooga , 
where General Grant gained a victory over the Confederates under General 
Bragg, in the War for the Union. The s, cue of the strife was the region 
round Chattanooga, Tennessee, close to the boundary line between the latter 
and Georgia and Alabama .] 


'Battle of 
Lookout 
Mountain 


On the crest of Lookout Mountain, 
In the early autumn light, 
Stood a vast Confederate army, 
Ready for the coming fight. 


Over them a thick fog settled, 
Covering all the vale below? 
Hiding from their sight the hillside, 
And the marching of the foe. 

Then the Union host pressed forward, 
Took the rifle-pits by storm, 
Charging, struggling, up the mountain, 
In a fierce, resistless swarm. 


Till they reached the cloud-capped summit, 
Of that mountain steep and bare, 

And the banner of the Union 
Floated in the evening air. 


— 60 — 




X5he Mejcican War 


here was a war in forty-six 

Brought on by troubles in politics: 

The Americans crossed the Rio Grande, 

And drove the Mexicans out of that land, 

In this jolly old war of forty-six. 

Old Santa Anna was driven to fight, 

Alas for this unlucky night! 

He ran as a man could 
With one leg of wood, 

And lost in every fight. 

There was a big man, called General Scott, 

For the Mexicans he made it quite hot: 

His clothes in all weathers 
They called “fuss and feathers,® 

This doughty old General Scott. 

There was a general, named Taylor, 

As tough and as brave as a sailor; 

They called him “rough and ready,® 

And they found him true and steady, 

This brave old General Taylor. 

Old (< Rough and Ready ® won every battle 
And made the shot and cannon rattle ; 

He stormed the hill, and took the town, 

And made them lay their armor down, 

This winner of every battle. 

And then this brave old “ Rough and Ready,® 

Whose heart was true and aim was steady, 

To his home in Tennessee he went, 

And the people made him President, 

This valiant old “ Rough and Ready.® 

There were some men in Boston town 

Who looked on this war with serious frown ; 

They said it was a wicked cause 
And added strength to slavery’s laws. 

These honest old men in Boston town. 

Now what do you think yourself of this war, 

And what do you think they fought it for ? 

Do you think it wrong, or do you think it right. 

For the sake of more land your neighbors to fight ? 

O, what do you think of the Mexican war? [April 1846-Sept. 1847.] 



— 61 — 


American 

Discoveries 

TN the year one thousand and one 

The Mississippi River found 

Lief Ericson’s journey was begun. 

Guided by captives he had bound. 

In fourteen hundred and ninety-two 

In fifteen hundred thirty-four 

Columbus crossed the ocean blue. 

Jacques Cartier left the Gallic shore. 

In the year fifteen hundred and ten 

And sailing swiftly to the west 

The Spaniards landed on Darien. 

He was with prosperous voyage blest ; 

In fifteen hundred and thirteen 

He found the isle of Newfoundland, 

The Pacific was by Balboa seen. 

St. Lawrence gulf, and river grand. 

In fifteen twelve, it was in sooth. 

It was in sixteen hundred eight 

That De Leon sought the Fount of Youth. 

That one Champlain, a Frenchman great. 

In fifteen hundred and nineteen 

Again to this far country came 

Fernando Cortez marched between 

And saw the lake which bears his name. 

The low sea coast and Mexico 

It was in sixteen hundred nine 

Where he was surely bound to go. 

That Hudson found that river fine 

In fifteen hundred and forty-one 

With steep walled banks and rushing tide 

De Soto, that true Spanish son. 

Whose name with his will e’er abide. 

Garfield and Lincoln 


]VT OW boys, I’m sure you’ve heard it said, 
^ That in this country free, 

A boy can be as great a man 
As he can rise to be. 

Now there was Garfield who, you know. 
Became our President, 

And Lincoln who, to save his land. 

His every power bent. 

He was so poor he could not have. 

To study by at night, 

A lamp or candle, so he used 
The flickering fire-light. 


He kept a little country-store. 

Fought Indians in the West, 

Split rails, and always tried to do 
In every thing his best. 

And on canals James Garfield worked : 

He drove a team of mules ; 

And then to help himself along, 

He taught in country-schools. 

So, don’t you see, upon yourself 
It rests what you can do. 

And you’ll be thought of with respect 
If you are strong and true. 

[Garfield 1831-81. Lincoln 1809-65.] 


— 62 


The Trie Canal 



rom Albany to Buffalo 

There runs a ditch both long and low; 
Its banks are steep, its span not wide, 
There creeps a tow-path by its side. 


For years had Clinton tried in vain 
To make folks see how much they’d gain, 
If this canal could opened be 
From inland lake to distant sea. 


At last he brought about his plan, 

The great canal the state to span, 

And all the folks, both poor and rich, 
Laughed long and loud at “Clinton’s ditch.” 


And now that he had got his way 
With joy they celebrate the day; 
Along the ditch, five miles apart, 
Were cannon placed, the news 
to start. 


Then water from the western lake 
To New York harbor they did take, 
And poured it in the briny tide; 
The lake was now the ocean’s 
bride. 


Along this quiet inland stream, 

By horses drawn, or mules a-team, 

There floats more wealth, of garnered grain, 
Than ever grew on eastern plain. 

The treasures of the mountain mine, 

The lordly forest’s stately pine, 

And wool from many a western fold, 

Float down this stream like molten gold. 

This enterprise now proven well, 

Voices of praise the chorus swell ; 

No more are heard, from poor or rich, 

Their foolish jokes on “Clinton’s ditch.” [Opened 1825.] 

— 63 — 



( 04 ) 


THE EGYPTIAN SPHINX 




IS he | Egyptian §j Sphinx 








&)){y/b&rf In' 


i 7/J-\>^>->/Ti \wJ 




<^rk i'A 

'//Al'v/Ali 

St 


Wouldn’t you like to be the Sphinx, 

So mighty and so vast ? 

Wouldn’t you like to know what links 
Connect him with the past? 

Don’t you think you would like to hear 
All that the Sphinx has heard ? 

To listen, and listen with drowsy ear, 
And never say a word ? 


The if rent Sphinx 
of (Jr izeh , — a l oca l 
person i feat ion in 
stone of the Egyp- 
tian sun -yotl — is of 
mammoth propor- 
tions as well as of 
i treat a ntiq a ity . 
Except th e h ea d a n d 
shoulders , the figure 
lias for ayes been 
pa rt tally buried in 
the sands of the 
desert. It was hewn 
from the natural 
rock before the era 
of Ch eo ps . Th e body 
is 140 feet long; 
th e h ea d mens u res 
about 30 feet from 
the top of the fore- 
head to the chin , 
and is 14 feet wide. 


Wouldn’t you like to see him wink 
His two big stony eyes ? 

And if he could chuckle and smile, do you think 
That he would look so wise ? 

' ' y * , * . > 

Wouldn’t it, though, be very good, 

And worthy to all to tell, 

If only our friends and neighbors could 
Keep secrets just as well ? 


Don’t you think he must be weary 
Sitting in the self-same place ? 

And must it not be very dreary 
Never to change his face ? 

What do you think the Sphinx would do 
To blow his big black nose ? 

And has it ever occurred to you 
If he can move his toes? 

Doesn’t it seem as if his head 
Had lost the whole of its hair ? 

Was it yellow, or black, or red, 

Or wasn’t there any there ? 



their stand, 

To keep the hated Yankee 

From going through the land. 


But who can stop a Yankee, 

When he’s bound to fight and win? 
They marched around the other side 
To shut the Mexicans in. 


N the pass of Cerro Gordo 
The Mexicans took 


OT f-JIS 

OODENTEG 


0, then they knew they’d have to run 
As they before had always done, 

Or else for mercy beg; 

So off they went in haste so hot, 

That Santa Anna quite forgot 
his precious wooden leg. 


[Santa Anna was a Mexican general who fought for Spain in Mexico against France at Vera Cruz 
{Dec. 1838), where he lost a leg. Tie became president of Mexico in 1846 , and when war between that 
State and the United States broke out in that year, owing to troubles in Texas , Santa Anna commanded 
at the battle of Cerro Gordo (.70 miles northwest of Vera Cruz ), when General Winfield Scott stormed and 
carried the Mexican entrenchments (April 18, 184 7). Later in the year , the Mexicans surrendered 
after their capital teas taken and Chapultepec was stormed •] 



'Battle of fie tv Orleans 


Come, children, come and leave your play, 
Some history you must learn to-day, 

So listen to this story ; 

H ow General Jackson fought the foe, 

In New Orleans so long ago, 

And won a name of glory. 


H is force was small, and some unarmed, 
But this brave man was not alarmed, 
He trusted valor’s worth; 

He set his men to work with speed, 
To dig some trenches for their need. 
And throw up walls of earth. 


The British then came marching down. 
To storm his works and take the town. 
And thought he soon would yield; 
They little dreamed so small a force 
Could check them in their onward course. 
And drive them from the field. 


But Jackson’s men were fighters free, 
The riflemen of Tennessee, 

The finest marksmen in the world ; 
Against such men, whose certain aim 
Had never missed the forest game, 

In vain their force was hurled. 


At first they struggled bravely on, 

In spite of shots that mowed them down 
And strewed the field with dead ; 
But when their Gen’rals were killed, 
These troops, in Europe’s warfare skilled, 
In wild confusion fled. 


H ow much was gained on this great day, 
Perhaps it would be hard to say, 

One sure result is plain ; 

The Mississippi now is ours. 

All claim by any foreign powers 
Forever was made vain. 


And yet it seems a pity, too, 

For see how strange a thing is true, 

Which all this bloodshed could have spared ; 

Two weeks before this great event, 

By treaty made and signed at Ghent, 

A peace had been declared. [Jan. 8, 1815.] 


— 67 — 


'Battle of Saratoga 


In June of seventeen, seventy-seven 
The British essay’d a plan, 
Which they had hoped to carry out 
Since first the war began. 


To march from Canada to New York, 
The colonies to divide ; 

’Twould then be easy work, they thought, 
The contest to decide. 


An army vast came marching down, 
Burgoyne was at their head; 

But Washington’s men awaited them, 
By Gates and Schuyler led. 


And poor Burgoyne soon found himself 
In sad and sorry plight; 

For as the summer wore away, 

He lost in every fight. 


H is Indian allies sneaked away, 

His hopes began to wane; 

The aid that Clinton promised him 
He waited for in vain. 


And then a battle fierce was fought 
One bright October day, 

Which thrilled each patriot heart with joy, 
To England brought dismay. 


The British troops laid down their arms 
On Saratoga field, 

And all the world now saw that we 
Our cause need never vield. 


O, Saratoga, glorious day ! 

The tide of battle turned, 

And France now offered us her aid 
When she that vict’ry learned. 

[Oct. 17, 1777.] 


— 68 — 




apt ain Cook, took a very bad crew 
To sail around the earth ; 

The wild waves roared, the fierce winds blew, 
But he looked on with mirth. 


Then Captain Cook told his gallant men 
That they would all be kings, 

When they got back to their homes again 
With a very rich load of things. 

So far away they sailed to the west, 
Across the deep blue sea. 

Around Cape Horn, and were on the 
breast 

Of Pacific’s azure sea. 


Onward they went amidst strange scenes, 
And also peoples rude, 

Until they came to the Philippines, 

Where they landed for some food. 

There Captain Cook was cooked by the 
cook, 

His bones on the shore were bleached ; 
His crew then their departure took. 

And soon their homes they reached. 

[Lived 1728-79.] 


Storming ojf Stony "Point 


« X[ A MUST nave Stony Point,” said 
Washington, 

“ It surely will never do 
To let the British keep this fort, 

So near to West Point, too.” 

But where is the man, with fire and dash, 
This post for me to gain, 

“I know,” said General Washington, 
w I’ll send Mad Anthony Wayne.” 


So Anthony Wayne, with his trusty 
men, 

Crept softly up the hill, 

And reached the fort of Stony Point, 
Through the night all dark and still. 

Then onward they rushed with bayonets set, 
Heedless of shot and shell, 

And the fort was ours, for Anthony Wayne 
Had done his work nobly and well. 

[July 16, 1779.] 



A man in California 
Once found some bits 
•fj of gold, 

X Where the Sacramento River 
O’er its shining sand-bed 
rolled. 


O, what a wild commotion, 
Through all the country 
stirred, 

When people in the other States 
This wondrous news had heard. 

The shops were left, 

The farms were sold, 

The people all 
Went wild for gold. 


For gold, for gold, 

For glittering gold, 

How many a tale of sorrow told 
Was caused by this mad rush for gold! 



— 70 — 


The Conquest of Mejcico 


ortez was a Spaniard so bold, 

Who came to the New World for gold; 
With a few chosen men, 

He started out then, 

To invade Mexico, I’ve been told. 

The War Chief he drove from his throne, 

And ruled there as if ’twere his own, 

Till the natives one day 
They drove him away, 

For his bad deeds to make him atone. 

Soon with more men he came once again, 

And the Mexicans fought him in vain; 

With tears sad to see, 

They were all forced to flee, 

And scores of their comrades were slain. [1519-21.] 



*De Soto 


Soto in the days of old, 

Went through the land in search of gold; 
No gold he found, but hardships great, 
Were this unhappy Spaniard's fate; 

On Mississippi’s shore he died, 

They buried him beneath its tide. [1542] 


William Penn 



there was a Quaker good, whose name was William Penn; 
e thought it was a sin to kill his fellow-men. 

The Indians he never fought, 

But lands from them he always bought, 

And so it was they loved good William Penn. [1681.] 



'Battle of the Little Big Horn 


Custer’s men upon the plains, 

The Indians fought for many a day, 
They’d skulk around the white man’s camp, 
Then fire, and run away. 

to the saddle sprang the men 
When “ Boots and Saddles ” played, 

For “Boots and Saddles” was the tune 
That led the white men’s raid. 

Then far and fast, o’er hill and plain, 

The frightened Indians fled ; 

When “ Boots and Saddles ” loudly played 
And gallant Custer led. 

There came a day when Custer’s men, 

In Indian ambush fell ; 

Then played no more the jolly tune 
They knew and loved so well. 

[June 25, 1876.] 



U’bvo Alexanders 


days of old, in eastern climes, 
There was a great com- 
mander. 

The ablest warrior of his times, 
Whose name was Alexander. 

They say he conquered all the world. 
Then down he sat and cried. 
Because this planet was too small 
To satisfy his pride. 

[Reigned 356-323 B.C.J 


In modern days and western climes, 
An Alexander too we find, 
Whose work and hopes and highest 
aims 

Were of a different kind. 

A patriot true, a statesman wise, 

In all things a commander, 

This was our noble Hamilton, 

The western Alexander. 

[Lived 1757-1804.] 



Hanging T ogether 


W hen that great paper had been signed 
In which we did declare 
That we with England would no more 
Her name or burden share, 

That witty Mister Franklin, 

The jolliest of the gang, 

Said, “ Now we must hang together 

Or by ourselves we’ll hang.” CJ ul y 4- I 77 6 -J 


Crossing the Delaware 


G eorge Washington one stormy night 
Crossed the river and had a fight : 

His enemies were at a ball 
And didn’t think he’d come at all. 

He took one thousand prisoners then, 

And only lost two of his men. 

The courage of the people rose 

To crush and conquer all their foes. l Dec - 2 5> I 77 6 l 


'Rattle of "Bennington 



gainst the town of Bennington 
The redcoats marched one day 
To get the powder and the guns 
That there were stored away. 


But Colonel Stark, he came there, too, 
Prepared to keep those guns ; 

His men were few, but tried and true, 
New Hampshire’s valiant sons. 

Said he, “ My boys, we‘11 win this fight 
Or Molly Stark’s a widow to-night.” 


[Aug. 16, 1777.] 



(74) 


DIOGENES 




Diogenes 

In the streets of old Athens, 

In the noon’s very height, 

Diogenes once walked abroad 
With a lantern bright. 

The people crowded round him, 

The children asked to know : 

Why in the day a light he bore, 

Swinging to and fro. 

“I’m looking,” said Diogenes, 

As he the crowd did scan, 

“I’m looking all around me 
To find an honest man.” 

[Diogenes, a Greek philosopher, famed for his eccentricities, lived from 412-323 li. C.] 


Rub-a-dub-dub ! 

A man in a tub, 

Who do you think it can be ? 
Diogenes funny, 

A man without money, 

Yes, this is the man I see. 


— 75 — 


I 



Utnam and\ 

OldWKitejj 


IH^LD General Pntnam owned a 
^ l f|| horse 

That was his joy and pride, 
sir, 

And when he got his mettle up 
No man with him could ride, sir. 

As he was riding out one day 


General Israel Putnam teas a Connecticut 
farmer when the tear of the revolution broke 
out. When he heard of the battle of Lexington 
(April 19 , 1715), he left his plow, saddled and 
mounted his horse , and rode with all speed to 
apprise the authorities at Cambridge, Hass. He 
teas made a brigadier-general and took part in 
the battle of Ranker Hill and was present at 
the siege of Roston , afterward serving in the 
Highlands of the Hudson and in Connecticut . 


He saw the British coming. 

He struck his spurs into the horse, 
And sent old Whitey humming. 

He rode as hard as he could ride, 

The British followed faster, 

And soon they thought that they would 
catch 

Old Whitey and his master. 


Then Putnam rode straight toward a 
cliff 

That seemed to stop the way, sir, 
But when he dashed down out of sight 
The foe stopped in dismay, sir. 


For down a hundred steps of stone 
Old Whitey flew with speed, sir, 
The British gasped and looked aghast, 
But followed no such lead, sir. 


76 - 


The Capture of Quebec 


n the broad St. Lawrence River, 
High above its flowing tide, 

Stood Quebec, the strong-walled city, 

In its strength, the Frenchman’s pride. 

Here Montcalm, the French commander, 
With his French and Indian band, 
Guarded by the steep-banked river, 

Made for France a final stand. 

But the gallant English general 

Had no thought that town to spare, 
Looking down in proud defiance 
On the river flowing fair. 


So by night he led his army 
Up the steep and rocky way, 

And the plain behind the city 

They had gained by break of day. 

Then each bold and gallant leader 
Led his army to the fight, 

And the allied French and Indians 
Soon were put to headlong flight. 

There the noble French Commander 
Gladly laid his sad life down, 
Saying he could live no longer 

Since he’d lost that guarded town. 



And young Wolfe, the English General 
Being told, “The Frenchmen fly,” 
Knew he’d saved his country’s honor 
And he, too, could gladly die. 

[Sept. 13, 1759.] 


The Capture of Ticonderoga 


E than Allen went to seize 
A fortress by a lake; 
And just a little band of men 
To help him did he take. 


He marched up to the fortress door, 
“Surrender,” he commanded; 

The frightened General gasped and then 
His sword to Allen handed. 

[May 10, 1775.] 


JVeUon’s 'Blind Eye 


T here was a sturdy Englishman 
And he was wond’rous wise; 
His name was Nelson, and, sad fate, 
He lost one of his eyes. 

There is no loss without some gain : 

Now listen while I tell 
H ow Nelson with his one blind eye 
Still served his country well. 

The fleet lay off the Danish coast, 
That was quite strongly guarded, 
With batteries and battle-ships — 
’Twas time it was bombarded. 


So cautious was the Admiral 
He did not dare to fight ; 

And Nelson with his timid ways 
Had grown impatient quite. 

So Nelson begged to take twelve ships 
He feared not man nor gun. 

He sailed up to the Danish fleet ; 

The fight was then begun. 

The fearful Admiral looking on 
Did greatly courage lack, 

And so he signaled from his ship 
For Nelson to come back. 


But Nelson till that fight was won, 

Did not intend to flee, 

So toward the ship his blind eye turned — 

The sign he could not see. 

[The battle of Copenhagen was fought April 2, 1801.] 


Battle of ZSrafalgar 


S t Trafalgar the English met 

The French ships and the Span- 
ish, too ; 

’Twas there that gallant Nelson said 
That each man should his duty do. 


Right nobly then the English fought 
And each man did his duty well, 
But dearly was the victory bought, 
For gallant Nelson fell. 

[Oct. 2i, 1805.] 


-78 — 


Hide and SeeK. 


$8885 S NCE a & ame an( i see k 

pig| AV as played upon the ocean wide, 

’Twas when the French and Spanish ships 
From Nelson tried to hide. 

’Twas in the great Napoleon’s day, 

When French and English were at war, 

And Nap thought he would play a game 
Upon the British tar. 

So out among the western isles 
The allied fleet he sent ; 

Knowing that Nelson with his ships 
Would follow where they went. 

But Nelson shrewdly guessed the trick 
When he no foes could track, 

And turning east his ships again 
Came swiftly sailing back. 

He met the foe at Trafalgar, 

And there that victory gained, 

Which swept the Frenchmen from the sea, 

And England’s power maintained. 

They say that there is nothing new, 

That History itself repeats ; 

Again this game of hide and seek 
Was played by Spanish fleets. 

In Santiago’s harbor deep, 

Cervera hid away ; 

But Schley and Sampson tracked him there, 

And waited for their prey. 

Once more the players of this game, 

Found hiding was in vain ; 

A naval battle then was fought 

That broke the power of Spain. [1805, 1898.] 


— 79 — 


Frederick^ the Great 


n the little Prussian state, 

Many long years ago, 

Lived King Frederick the Great 
Whom you all ought to know. 

Brutal tyrant, very rough, 

Was his father, the king, 

Who, to make his son quite tough, 

Oft did a cruel thing. 



Warrior great and bold was he, 
Fighting, for his nation, 
Austria, France, and Saxony — 
Nearly all creation. 


He made of little Prussia 

A state that could withstand 
Even powerful Russia, 

Or any other land. 


This a step was to unite 
All smaller German states 
Into the German Empire bright, 

With many noble traits. [Ruled 1740-86.] 


'Roman Geese 



hE Gauls once came to Rome 
To seize and sack the town ; 
The Roman soldiers fought 
them well, 

But could not beat them down. 


The Romans from the citadel 

Looked down in trembling fright, 
Because they were not strong- 
enough 

These enemies to fight. 


One night the Roman soldiers 
Were tired and fell asleep; 
The cunning Gaul crept softly up 
The sides that were so steep. 

Some geese within the citadel 
Began to cackle then, 

And woke the sleeping soldiers: — 
The geese had saved the men! 

[390 B.C.] 



Napoleon was a Corsican 
Of somewhat noble birth ; 

Do you not know what course he 
ran 

To try to rule the earth? 


His brain was large, his body small, 
Far greater was his sword ! 

He wished to rule the nations a!!, 
And make himself their lord. 


So Europe all against him turned 
To overthrow his power; 

His army him as leader spurned 
And smaller grew each hour. 


At Waterloo defeat met he, 

Before the powers allied; 

Deprived of rule and liberty, 

On rocky isle he died. 

[Napoleon Bonaparte, horn in Corsica in 1709, and died a British prisoner on the island of St. 
Helena in 1821, teas Emperor of the French between the years 1804 and 1S14. Ills ambition to oc- 
cupy the throne of France led him to undertake an array of wars against the chief powers of Europe, in 
which he showed great military genius. In ISOS, desiring to annex Spain and Portugal to France, 
Napoleon sent an army to enter Madrid and proclaim his brother, Joseph Bonaparte, king. This led 
to what is known in history as “ The Peninsular War.” In 1812, he undertook a disastrous expedition 
into Russia , and in June 181.7 he met with final defeat at Waterloo, in Belgium, by the armies of the 
allies under the Duke of Wellington .] 


— 81 


% 



Hannibal lived in Carthage , 

Many years ago ; 

His father was a general , 

Who fought the Roman foe. 


When Hannibal icas nine years 
old , 

He took an oath one night, 
Upon an altar in a wood, 

Great Rome to ever fight. 


Though he was such a little hoy 



lie meant all that he said, 
And with his soldiers fought so hard 

That all Rome mourned her dead. 


[Hannibal was a famous Carthaginian general, son of I,f ' tl " lrn ' " . 

//,. lived between the years 247 and 1S3 H.C. Among many 

met the Homans at Canute in 210 H.C. and inflicted on ^ntTc antjaTer 
He was himself afterward defeated by Scipio at Zama, in 201 H.C and late, 
on had other reverses which caused him to end his life by suicide . J 


— 82 — 



A Spartan boy could never have 
A second piece of pie ; 

There was no chance for him to winlc 
And catch his mother’s eye. 

And if he ran away from school 
With other boys for fun, 

He could not creep to mother’s side 
And tell what he had done. 


The bravest soldiers in the world 
These Spartan boys became, 

For if a boy was ever hurt 
To cry would be a shame. 

A type of manhood and of strength 
The Spartan has become ; 

But still I think I’d rather have 
A mother and a home. 



l . f 1 1 / L 


Sparta i ran an ancient 
and powerful city in La- 
conia, Greece, whose in- 
habitants tooh part in the 
Persian and in the Pelo- 
ponnesian wars. They had 
a high idea, though to us 


it seems a rigorous one, of 
bringing up young people 
in severe simplicity, and 
inculcated in the young 
true manliness and love of 
country. On the youth 
going to battle, his mother 
would say to him as she 
handed him his shield , 
“ 31 y sou, return with th is, 
or on it” — Come hack as 
a conqueror or be brou 
back on it as one slain 
honorable fight. 



Aristides was a famous 
Athenian general and 
statesman, su rnarned the 
Just. lie took part in 
the great battles of 31a ra- 
th on , Salamis, and PI at tea , 
but was also noted for his 
civic reforms and for the 
justness of his dealings 
with all. lie died about 
40. S n.c. 


Aristides was a man 

Who lived in Greece one time ; 
From the city he was sent 
Early in his prime. 


But afterward they took him back 
And ever called him Just. 

In the Persian wars he fought. 

But not because he must. 


It was because he loved the town 
And ever wished it good ; 

And helped and taught in every way 
That such a wise man could. 


— 83 — 



A man, named Mohammed, 
Once lived in the east, 
Who ruled like a prophet, 

A king, and a priest. 


His kingdom was little 
When first he did 
reign, 

But later it reached 
From Arabia to Spain. 


And some feared his soldiers 
Would conquer the world, 
In so many lands 

Were his banners unfurled. 




— 84 — 



St. Anthony 



r. anthony was a pious youth 
Who never left the path of truth, 

In evil ways to walk ; 

The world agrees that when a boy, 
It was his highest aim and joy 
Of heavenly things to talk. 



The devil flew into a rage 
When this good monk remained in age 
A pure and holy man ; 

From virtue’s pathway to beguile 
He tried, with many an artful wile, 

But vain his every plan. 

The holy saint, with virtue strong, 

Despising every thought of wrong, 

Resisted all his wiles; 

And when the devil in despair, 

Gave up the task and left him there, 

He comfort found in angels’ smiles. 


St. Augustine 


r. Augustine, that noble 
monk, 

Had often in his youth 
been drunk, 

And lived a life of sin; 

But when he old and wiser grew, 
A better course he did pursue 
With hope a heaven to win. 


He then became a holy man 
Whose every wish and every 
plan 

Was still the world to bless ; 

Now every tongue and every 
creed 

Give Augustine his rightful meed, 
His holy life confess. [354-430 a . d.i 




Henry o f JVa.'Varre 



gay and handsome youth 
Was Henry of Navarre; 
A polished man at court, 
A lion when in war. 


In the thick of battle 
Flashing like a star, 
Rose and fell the emblem 
Of Henry of Navarre. 



The land was full of fighting men, 
Whose tumult sounded far, 

The leader of the Huguenots 
Was Henry of Navarre. 

When against the enemy 
He led his men to fight, 

He told them all to follow 
His plume of snowy white. 


And the soldiers followed gladly 

Where they saw that white plume wave, 
Feeling that their gallant leader 
Would their country save. 

At last gay Henry of Navarre 
Was made the king of France; 

No more for his religion 

He raised the sword or lance. 


He ruled the people wisely 
And religious freedom gave, 

And all men had the right to choose 
The way their souls to save. 

[Henry IV of France, reigned 1589-1610.] 


Louis VII 


The Teutons 


T ouis the Seventh 

' Was a king of France, 
Who ruled the people 

With a nod or a glance. 
Thirteen hundred men 

He burned in a church, 
Which left the old king 
In quite a bad lurch. 

To redress the crime 
By St. Bernard’s aid, 

He started off East 

On a lengthened crusade. 

[Louis VII, King of France (1137-80), 
took part in the second crusade.] 


T he Teutons fair, 

With streaming hair, 

Brave as warriors at times; 
With bodies strong, 

And limbs so long, 

Lived in Europe’s northern climes. 

There they hunted and fished, 

They fought when they wished, 

And always had their own way; 
And when they got tired 
They moved where desired, 

And always went there to stay. 


— 86 — 



The Guillotine 

T HIS is the guillotine. 

So base and full of spleen ; 

The sharp knife may be seen, 

That killed serf, king, and queen, 
Rich and poor, fat and lean. 

Whose heads were put between 
The block and blade so keen, 

And cut off like a bean, 

With nothing up to screen. 

’Twas very bad, 1 ween, 

This awful guillotine. 

The French used it 
And abused it. 

None refused it. 

All accused it. 

This wicked guillotine. 

[ The guillotine was a beheading machine, 
said to be invented by a French medical 
man . named Guillotin, who was a member 
of the French Constituent Assembly in 1789. 
The instrument of death was used in the 
French Revolution of that year with dire 
celerity and dispatch , the heads of thou- 
sands being whisked off by it during that 
stormy and disturbed time.] 


Louis Philippe 

T HE citizen king, 

Poor Louis Philippe, 

Found the royal road 
Was rocky and steep. 

By the Chambers elected 

To wear the French crown, 

The nobles looked on him 

With sneer and with frown. 

While the people declared 
No king they would own, 

And vowed they would pull him 
From off the throne. 

Poor Louis Philippe 

Both sides tried to please, 

But found in this course 
Neither safety nor ease. 

So Louis Philippe 

On the throne of his sires, 

Was like a man roasting 
Betwixt two hot fires. 

One cold winter’s night, 

He was roused from his sleep, 

By hearing hoarse shouts, 

“ Down with Louis Philippe !” 

The kingdom was ended, 

By a breath blown away ; 

A new French Republic 
Was founded that day. 

[Louis Philippe was king of France be- 
tween years 1830 and 1848. He is known as 
the “ citizen king," as he favored the rev- 
olution , and took the part of the people 
against the aristocrats, and at one time 
renounced his titles and went into exile. 
When the revolution of July, 1830 , over- 
threw Charles X, he was made king, but his 
government becoming reactionary, he was 
deposed by the revolution of Feb., 1848.] 


— 81 — 




( 88 ) 


FHE SCHOOLMEN 






ZShe Schoolmen 

XW 

These are schoolmen two, 

Always in a stew, 

Over points not new, 

Whose ideas are few. 

Don’t they look quite blue? 

They had naught else to do. 

Now all this is true. 

They quibbled, 

They dribbled, 

They muttered, 

They sputtered, 

They defined, 

They designed, 

They spun out, 

They run out, 

They turned outside in and inside out, 
Till what he was arguing about 
Neither one knew, 

Neither do you. 

[The Schoolmen were learned, but rather pedantic, men of the 
Middle .1(1 e.<i, who used to lecture and expound, chiefly in philoso- 
phy and theology, in the schools or cloisters of cathedrals. The 
era of the School men extends from the 11th to the 14th centuries .] 


— 89 — 



Notice de Leon 


Goosie, Goosie Gander 
Whither shall I wander? 
Over land 
Over sea, 

I’m a exeat commander. 


I want to find a fountain 


Whose waters when 
I drink 

ill keep me always 
young and gay; 
From old age I do 
shrink. 


Ponce de Leon , a Spanish soldier , born in Aragon 
about 1400 , was the conqueror of Porto Pico and 
the discoverer of Florida , in A. II. 1513. lie and 
his colonists were attached by the Florida Indians 
and had to leave the region. Ponce de Leon teas 
wounded in the retreat by an Indian arrow , which 
caused his death. 


90 





Who Settled America? 


When o’er the sea the white man came, 
Across the raging foam, 

To settle in the new-found land 
And make themselves a home. 

What places first attracted them? 

Where did their vessels land? 

From Nova Scotia’s stormy coast 
To the South Sea’s golden sand? 

What motives led these hardy men 
To seek so great a change, 

To leave the homes they’d always known 
For countries new and strange? 

The Spaniards first across the main 
Their white-winged vessels steered; 

They cared for naught but finding gold. 
No laws or menace feared. 

They claimed possession of the land 
For Spanish king and creed, 

But robbed and murdered everywhere 
To satisfy their greed. 


To mark their conquests in this land 
One town alone is seen : 

We know in sixteen, sixty-five 
They built St. Augustine. 

To Canada the Frenchmen came 
And all the country claimed, 

Built towns and forts all through the land 
Which they New France had named. 

They settled also in the South, 

On Carolina’s coast, 

And down the Mississippi built 
Many a trading-post. 

When came the Dutch across the sea 
Part of this land to claim, 

They settled on that noble stream 
Which now bears Hudson’s name. 

The gay and gallant cavaliers, 

With noble English names, 

Built the first English settlement 
At Jamestown, on the James. 


William the Silent 


Prince William of Orange, the “Silent” was named, 

For doing, not talking, he justly was famed, 

Few words and great actions were ever his plan, 

This William the Silent, this great fighting man. 

[Lived 1533-84.] 


— 91 - 


S The Lion of the North S 


or Sweden and for Swedish 
rights 

The great Gustavus fought, 
A foremost place in Europe’s 
ranks 

Was what for her he sought. 



When from the north this Hon king 
His valiant armies led, 

The nations heard his voice with awe, 
And trembled at his tread. 


For thirty years a furious war 
All Europe’s mettle tried; 
Gustavus led the Swedish force 
And Wallenstein defied. 


On Lutzen’s bloody battle-field 
While shouts his victory tell, 

The foremost in the raging fight, 

Gallant Gustavus fell. 

But death ends not the mighty work 
Of one so good and wise; 

This Northern Lion’s glorious name 
In Sweden never dies. 

[Reigned 1611-32.] 


Gustavus Adolphus , 
King of Sweden , was 
the champion of the 
Protestant cause in 
Germany against the 
forces of the Catholic 
League. He fell in 
battle at Lutzen , near 
Leipsic, Xov. 111,1732. 


s Garibaldi S 


£|§£i>'|RAVE Garibaldi Poor wretched Italy, 

Fought for his country ; Troubled by the enemy, 

^or e > en cou pj happy be Could not united be. — 

Till she was free. Could not agree. 

Noble Garibaldi 
Gave his service gladly, 

Till he died cheerfully, — 

A hero was he. 


[Lived 1807-82.] 



*Peter the Great 


mperor Peter, called the Great, 

Ruled supreme the Russian state; 

He learned in Holland ships to make. 

That he the Swedish power might break. 

He opened mines, he founded schools, 

And cities built and battles fought, 

And steered his ships across the sea, 

And warships made and fashions taught. 

He made the stolid Russian counts 
Dance gaily at a ball ; 

The court, the army, and the church 
Obeyed his beck and call. 

They say his ghost still haunts the land, 

Still wanders over hill and vale, 

Measures the water in the bay, 

And guards the ships that from it sail. 

Whether this be true or no, 

’Tis sure the Russian state 

Still prospers from that mighty rule 
Of Peter, called the Great. 

[Reigned 1689-1725.] 



T he Wars of the 'Roses 


the wars of the roses, 

The white and the red, 

How oft has English blood been shed ; 
low oft have fallen 
In cruel fight 

The sturdy squire and gallant knight. 

How many thousand English men 
In battle have been slain, 

That wicked kings who loved them not 

In England fair might reign. [1452-1485.] 



93 — 



KJng John 


Ml 


John he was a tyrant bold 
Who vexed his nobles sore; 
He troubled them till they 
could bear 

H is wickedness no more. 


King John, when he the charter read, 
Flew in a dreadful rage; 

He chewed up sticks, rolled on the 
ground, 

And struck his harmless page. 


And so they drew a charter up 
To make him understand 
That he must give to each his right, 
And justly rule the land. 


But since the nobles had their way, 
No king, however mad, 

Now dares to be so wickedly. 

So wrongly, boldly bad. 


[King John of England (Lackland ) , who ruled from 1199 to 1210 , wav given to so much misgov- 
ernment of his kingdom that the barons rose against him and compelled him to sign Magna 
Charta at Runny mede, in June, 1215.] 



Four Georges 



ll tell you a story of George 
the First, 

How he from Hanover came; 
I’ll tell you another of George 
the Second, 

And that will be the same. 

A story now of George the Third, 
Perhaps you’d like to hear; 

He lost his wits and nothing knew 
For many a weary year. 


Then George the Fourth came to the 
throne, 

Too long the yarn’s been spun; 

I’ll tell no more of Georges four, 
Because my story’s done. 

For all the Georges ever did, 

And all they ever knew, 

Is written in this little tale 
Which I have told to you. 

[The Four Georges reigned 1714-1830.] 



— 94 — 


wv. Leonidas ■wv. 


hen the Persian host marched 
Down upon Greece, 

To capture all the land, 
The courage of her soldiers rose 
That army to withstand. 

Leonidas, the leader brave, 

With but three hundred men, 

Stood in a narrow mountain pass, 
That overlooks a glen. 


The pass was narrow, they were brave, 
And would have won the day, 

Had not a traitor shown the foe 
A secret winding way. 

So when the Grecians saw the foe 
Press in from every side, 

They bravely fought, till all but one, 
Like heroes fighting died. 

[480 B.O.] 



March of the Ten Thousand 


rer 


Xenophon and ten thousand 
Greeks 

From Asia started home ; 
The w T ay was long and rough 
and steep, 

By mountains wild and rivers deep, 
Where hostile tribes their vigils keep, 
The weary soldiers come. 


Through snow and ice they made their 
way, 

These soldiers bold and free, 

They fought by day and watched by 
night, 

And forward pressed with all their 
might, 

Till burst upon their longing sight, 
The blue and sparkling sea. 


Then joyful shouts broke from the 
crowd, 

“The sea, the sea, the sea! ? ’ 

They wept for joy these warriors brave, 
And grateful thanks to Heaven they 
gave, 

For just beyond the sunlit wave 
Lay Greece, the fair and free. 

[400 b. o.] 



m 


ST. PATRICK 












St. Patrick’s last and worthiest deed, 
Which we in olden annals read, 

The best he did for Ireland’s sake, 
Was that, when with unwearying care, 
He drove all reptiles from their lair, 
And banished every snake. 


gentleman both wise and quaint 
Of Ireland was the patron saint, 
St. Patrick was his name ; 

For rescuing dames in sorry plight, 
And killing robbers in the fight, 

He had acquired great fame. 


But one old snake was bound to stay, 
Long hidden in a swamp he lay, 

And vowed he would not leave ; 

St. Patrick coaxed and coaxed in vain, 
At last it seemed to him quite plain 
The snake he must deceive. 


One day he bought an oaken chest 
In which the snake might snugly rest, 
And bade him in it crawl; 


The snake replied in serious tone, 
He’d love to call that chest his own, 
But that it was too small. 


“But try it, love,” St. Patrick said, 
“Just rest your darlint little head 
Upon its floor so stout;” 

The cunning snake the trick had guessed, 
So when he crawled into the chest 
His tail left hanging out. 


“See there,” he said, “I told you so, 
The chest is much too small, I know.” 

“ Pull in your tail,” the saint replied, 
Then down he banged the heavy lid, 
Into their place the bolts he slid, 
Then laughed until he cried. 


— 97 — 



m 


'Balboa 


m 



ow come while I tell you a story 

Of a sturdy and brave company, 

Who with their leader Balboa, 

Longed greatly to find the “Big Sea.” 


An Indian boy had once told them 
That far over mountain and plain, 
Past lands of the wild savage native, 
The hills sloped down to the main. 


And there on the shores of that ocean 

Were rare pearls, and diamonds, and gold, 

And the whole land was filled with great wonders 
And more wealth than ever was told. 


So bravely they fought and they struggled, 

No danger their journey could stay, 

Till their weary souls were at last gladdened 
By news that was told them one day. 

“From the top of yon high and steep mountain 
You can see for yourself the Big Sea;” 

“Rest here,” to his men said Balboa, 

“Let no man go upward but me.” 

So he climbed by himself to the summit 
And saw — what a glorious sight! 

He fell on his knees and thanked Heaven 
For having thus led him aright. 

For there lay the surging Pacific, 

Its mighty waves thundered and roared, 

On the mountain top knelt its discoverer, 
While to God he his gratitude poured. 

[ 1 S I 3* ] 


— 98 — 



One day the Persian 
king (Cyrus), 
With a mighty band, 
Carried hapless Croesus 
off 

Into his own great 
land. 


He was treated 
kindly, 

And lived at 
Cyrus' court 
A wise adviser and so 
good, 

His life seemed all too short. 

Now shouldn’t people say, sir, 
Because it’s just as true, 

Not only “ rich as Croesus,” 

But “wise as Croesus,” too? 

— Croesus (King of Lydia), born about 590 B.C. 


Croesus 


Croesus was a rich man, 
Croesus was a king; 
Every one who heard of him 
Did of his riches sing. 


— 99 — 


L. of C. 



Henry III 



The Princes he ruled, 
The Bishops he fooled, 
And all his royal officers 
He diligently schooled. 

He dethroned the Pope 
And ruined his hope. 

With evils in the Roman Church 
He always tried to cope. 



gr ay, haven’t you heard 
Of Henry the Third, 

The greatest German Emperor 
Who ever wore a sword ? 


He built up his power, So when Henry died 

Increased it each hour, His people all cried 

And gave his noble successor That they had lost their brave father 

A magnificent dower. Who was their joy and pride. 

[Reigned 1039-56.] 


St. "Dunstan 



(®|t. Dunstan was a holy priest, 

Of noble birth and learning great, 
Who ruled the church with iron hand 
And also ruled the state. 

One day while working at a forge 
The devil peeped within, 

And tried to tempt this holy man 
To lead a life of sin. 


St. Dunstan’s heart within him burned, 
His righteous anger rose, 

He seized a pair of red hot tongs 
And pinched the devil’s nose. 

The wicked spirit flea away 

His bellowings heard for miles, 

And good St. Dunstan nevermore 
Was tempted by his wiles. 

[St. Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, England, 
born 924; died 988.] 


100 




* 


<Ufii$ tfie MorjjC, &o joPPij 

<%> f at > 

@^Vfio Pi'eeiL in ®La^& of? 

He coore a fiPaefc ©LreM, 
ai^t) fiail t^o fiat, 
eJ\*r^3 roameSL tfie coicje 
eoorPcj o’er. 


He fiail a $mootfi f?ace 
a"r^> ton^urecj ^eail, 
eKr^cj $Pepf in a narroco 
cePP; 

eJ-fe ne'ser ilarecj to usecf a 
maic), 

©Jfioug§ e'ser^o jJii^e afiePPe. 


Lord 'Baltimore 

There was a Catholic, parped Baltirpore, 
Who left bis borne for the western shore; 
To A\arylapd be carpe, 

/^pd to faith? of every parpe 
He opened wide the door. [ 1 634 .] 


— 101 — 


Cromwell and the Dutch 


EE the mighty host come sailing 
To the English coast. 
u I will sweep the English Channel,” 

That was Van Tromp’s boast. 

u Sweep it clean of English vessels, 

Sink them quick and fast,” 

So a broom he fastened stoutly 

To his lofty mast. ~ n n , , 

J Cromwell was not one bit flustered, 

Soon his cannons, roar 

Sent those Dutch ships flying swiftly 

Toward the Holland shore. 

’Twas not Van Tromp whose courage 
Who turned and ran away ; 

He fired his guns on those poltroons 
Who lost to him the day. 


failed, 


Martin Tromp was a Dutch admiral 
who fought several battles with the 
English in the Channel during the 
Commonwealth period. He was killed 
in a battle at sea, off the Texel, an is- 
land in the North Sea , belonging to the 
Netherla n ds, Jnlg 31 , 1 653. 



The Rump Parliament 



WAS after King Charles had gone to his grave, 

And the nobles were trying their own necks to save, 
That the army of Parliament quite jealous grew, 

- And I think the great Oliver did a bit, too. 


In English history , 
“ The Rump” was a 
name given in con- 
tempt to the remnant 
of the long Parlia- 
ment, restored by the 
army in 1659. It 
was in Aj>ril , 1653, 
that Cromwell went to 
the House of Com- 
mons and expelled 
the members. 


So he marched to the House with some soldiers one day, 
And told every man he must go right away. 

And he called them all names (which may have been true) 
And made them all angry, but what could they do ? 

For he brought in his soldiers, who turned them all out, 
Put the key in his pocket, and ended the rout. 


— 102 — 



Louise de la Valliere 



IBNCE there was a maiden fair, 

A maid of face and figure rare, 
With eyes of blue and flaxen hair, 
With gentle mien and modest air, 
Yet blithe and gay and debonair, 

Alas! her beauty was a snare 
To sweet Louise la Valliere. 

When changes came she could not bear 
The courtiers’ cold, unfriendly stare, 

The scorn of those who did not dare 
In happier days such looks to wear. 

And so, in sadness and despair, 

She to a convent did repair, 

To end her days in penance there, 

In humble work and earnest prayer, 

This sad Louise la Valliere. 

[Age of Louis XIV.] 



Erasmus 




ho was Erasmus? 

A reformer great, 
With a learned pate, 
Who made a big fuss 
In Europe. 


The monks he denounced 
And all abuses 
And evil uses, 

Upon them he pounced 
In Europe. 


A small man was he, 

With keen and gray eyes, 
And nose of large size, 
By all known, you see, 

In Europe. 


The Church he’d not leave, 
For Pope, Queen, and King 
Took him under their wing 
And gifts he’d receive 
In Europe. 

[Lived 1467-1536] 


103 — 



REMUS AND ROMULUS 







'Remus and 'Romulus 


Ilenms and Romulus were two little boys, 

In the old Latin world they made a great noise; 
Their bad uncle stole them and ordered them 
drowned, 

But the full-flowing stream bore them to the high 
ground; 

And there in their cradle all safely they lay, — 
At least, that is what I have heard people say. 

A mother-wolf came where they cried in their fright, 
She nursed them, and soothed them by day and by 
night, 

Till a good shepherd took them from out the wolfs 
den, 

And carried them home, where they grew to be men. 
And then their bad uncle they killed one fine day, — 
At least, that is what I have heard people say. 

Then Remus and Romulus, when their uncle was killed, 
Went where the wolf found them, a city to build; 
But planning the wall soon brought about strife, 
And Romulus struck Remus and ended his life; 
And then he built Rome, but not in a day, — 

At least, that is what I have heard people say. 

— Legendary. 


Remus and Rom- 
ulus, in Roman leg- 
end, were the train 
sons of the god 
Mars by Silvia, a 
vestal virgin . When 
mere infants they 
were exposed on 
water in a cradle 
by their great-uncle 
Amulius, and the 
floods carried the 
cradle to the foot 
of the Palatine at 
Rome. Mere a wolf 
suckled them till the 
king’s herdsman 
or shepherd (Faust - 
ulus ) discovered 
them , and took them 
to his wife, who 
brought them up. 
TFT i en the twins grew 
to manhood they put 
to death Amulius, 
who had caused 
them to be exposed. 
Romulus is re- 
nowned as being the 
founder of Rome, 
and its first king 
( 753-710 R.C . ). 


— - 105 — 


i 


Elizabeth 

and Raleigh 

QOOD Queen Bess of England 

From her carriage stepped one day ; 

But the road so wet and muddy was, 
She stopped in great dismay. 

Quick as thought Sir Walter Raleigh 
Sprang from the gaping crowd, 

And laid his velvet mantle 

In her path mid cheering loud. 

Sir Philip Sidney 

<^|IR Philip Sidney was a brave 

And courteous young knight, 

Who in the days of “Good Queen Bess” 

Did in her army fight. 

He was a noted writer. 

A statesman, and loved art, 

But best of all, Sir Philip 

Had a kind and generous heart. 

’Tis said when on the battle-field 

He wounded lay and dying, 

He gave a cup of water cool 

To a soldier by him lying. 

[Lived J 554 -86.] 

The Spanish Armada 

JHE Spanish Armada with caravels grand, 

Brought thousands of men in England to land. 

But Drake, the bold sailor, was eager to fight, 

And drove the rash Spaniard away in a fright. 

He sent his blazing fireships 

Right in among the fleet. 

They did not care, 

They did not dare, 

Such a fearful foe to meet ; 

So out upon the Northern Sea 

The frightened Spaniards had to flee. 

The wind blew east, 

The wind blew west, 

With loud and frightful roar, 

It drove the broken Spanish ships 

Beyond the Scottish shore ; 

And never more to English land 

Came Spanish ships and galleys grand. 

[July, 1588.] 


— 10(3 — 




[Nero, a cruel Homan emperor, who reigned 54—08 A. I). 
He burned Rome and persecuted the Christians .] 


Hey, diddle, diddle, 

A king with a fiddle, 

A.nd Nero was the fiddler’s name; 

He burnt up Rome, 

Which was his home, 

And on the Christians laid the blame. 



Caligula 



Once an Emperor of Rome, 
Caligula by name, 

Did some very foolish things 
And brought himself to shame. 


He set his soldiers gathering shells 
Along the pebbly shore, 

And sent them back to Italy 
As trophies of the war. 


An army he to England took 
To fight the Britons there, 

But when he reached the British shore 
To fight he did not dare. 


I 

Caligula (Cains Ca sa r) was the third Emperor 
I of Rome ( 37-41 A.V.), the son of Germanicus. 
His reign was marked by much cruelty. He 
invaded Gaul ( France ) in 40 A.D., a 
assassinated in the following year. 


— 107 — 


“Don’t Give up the Ship” 


Caesar and Pompey 


“Shannon” and the “Chesapeake,” 
They met in deadly fray. 

And soon upon the bloody deck 
The dying captain lay. 



§ nce Cassar crossed the Rubicon 
To fight poor Pompey brave. 
But Pompey fled away to Greece 
His own dear life to save. 


“Don’t give up the ship,” 

Was Lawrence’s dying word; 
“Don’t give up the ship,” 

The echo still is heard. 

Wherever float the stars and stripes. 
O’er vessels armed with guns. 
Wherever stand upon their decks 
Columbia’s sturdy sons. 

We always shall our enemies whip. 

And never will give up the ship. 

[June i, 1813.] 


Osceola 


3 ^he brave chief Osceola, 

g By the white man was betrayed ; 
Although it was a part 

That he had often played. 

He trusted to the white man’s word. 

His promise he believed ; 

The ignorant, heathen savage 

By the Christian was deceived. 

He came to General Jessup’s camp 
Protected by a truce. 

Which he supposed would leave him free, 
Nor dreamed of its abuse. 

They seized this brave and haughty chief, 
The Indian’s joy and pride ; 

Within Fort Moultrie’s gloomy walls 
Poor Osceola died. 


Then Ctesar set himself to work 
Fair Italy to win ; 

It took him only sixty days 
To pacify his kin. 

And then he went to Sicily, 

And Africa and Spain, 

There to subdue the native tribes 
And all the country gain. 

Then Ciesar, too, went into Greece 
To fight his rival strong; 

The armies at Pharsalia met 
In battle fierce and long. 

There Pompey was defeated. 

And to Egypt had to flee, • 

While Caesar was sole ruler made 
By that great victory. 

[49-48 B.C.] 


Boadicea 


S tanding upon her chariot strong. 

And driving fast her horses fleet. 
Comes Briton’s queen into the fight. 
Her murdered daughters at her feet. 

The Britons fought until the last ; 

The Romans won the day; 

The noble queen by poison died; 

Thus ends this mournful lay. 

[62 A.D.] 


— 108 



Queen Victoria 

Queen Victoria, good and kind. 
Your reign was very long. 

And in the swiftly fleeting years 
Your country has grown strong. 

The English rule belts all the earth. 

The sun ne’er sets on English land; 
Victoria’s name, in many climes. 

Both love and honor can command. 

As empress and as queen of queens. 

As woman and as friend. 

The glory of your honored name 
Will last till time shall end. 

[Born 1819, crowned 1838, died 1901.] 


Oom Paul 

was an old man, named “Oom Paul,” 
Who liked the English not at all; 

So he stirred up the Dutch, 

Who loved him so much, 

“We’ll fight them till death,” said Oom Paul. 

And then English soldiers, so brave. 

Were sent out their brothers to save ; 

And the last that I knew 
They were both in a stew. 

And many had found a sad grave. 


Old Noll 

mwell ruled with kingly power; 

‘ Old Noll ” the people called him. 
He fought for right 
With all his might, 

\n nothing could appall him. 

[The Protector. Oliver Cromwell, 
ruled England in 1653-5H.] 


Battle of Lake Erie 

rave Commodore Perry 
He fought on Lake Erie, 

And took six ships within two hours. 
He sent from Lake Erie 
This message so cheery, 

“We have met the enemy, and they are ours.” 

[September 10, 1813.] 


Charles First 

Charles the First would have his 
way 

In spite of wrong or right; 

The Roundheads drove him from his throne 
And then he had to fight. 

They chased him over fen and moor, 

A weary life he led ; 

At last they shut him up in jail 
And then cut off his head. 

[Charles I. of England, reigned 1625-49.] 


Robert Bruce 

n many a battle fiercely fought. 

For Scotland and its throne. 

Brave Robert Bruce the lesson taught 
That valor wins its own. 

For, after years of sad defeat. 

His fortunes took a turn; 

A victory, he made complete. 

Was won at Bannockburn. 

Two hundred years the Scots were free 
From English tyranny and abuse. 

The Scottish heart still thrills with pride 
At mention of the Bruce. 

[ r 3 I 4-] 








— 109 — 



Joan of Arc 

& 

Who is this girl who tends her sheep ? 

Joan of Arc’s her name; 

What does she see in visions bright? 

A shining road to fame. 

She sees the king of France 
Replaced upon his throne ; 

She sees the hosts advance, 

Led by the maiden Joan. 

Who is this maiden fair 
Upon a milk-white steed, 

In warrior’s armor clad, 

The hosts of France to lead ? 

She scales the wall, she takes the town, 

The French to victory crowd; 

The Orleans maid is honored now 
By plaudits long and loud. 

Who now is led to meet her doom, 

The stake is set, the fagots laid. 

The cry goes forth, “The witch must burn” — 

Who is this woeful maid ? 

The king of France cares nothing now 
For her who saved his throne, 

But in enduring marble carved, 

The people honor Joan. 

\Jonn of Arc, the a rent national heroine of France, lived he- 
tween the years 1412 and 1431 . At this time , France teas largely 
under the mastery of the English, and the story goes that Joan , 
the ** Maid of Orleans” as she teas called , sought in consequence 
of hearing supernatural voices to liberate her country from the 
invaders. In May , 142!) , she raised the English siege of Orleans 
and gained other victories. Unhappily , she teas later on captured 9 
and at Rouen on May 30 , 1431 , she teas burned as a heretic at 
the stake .] 


110 — 




(Ill) 


JOAN Oh ARC 



















The Lion and the Transvaal Boar 
Were lighting for the land, 
The Lion thought he’d scare 
the Boar 

Because he had no “sand.” 


The nations all, with anxious 
hearts, 

Looked toward that southern shore, 
And trembled in their very boots 


The rhymes have ref- 
erence to the Boer War 
(1899-1901) he t w e e n 
Great Britain and the 
late burgher republics of 
the Transvaal and the 
Orange Free State. The 
territories of both repub- 
lics have been occupied 
by Britain and wrested 
from the Dutch Boers, 
though after protracted 
and pi achy resistance. 


To hear the Lion roar. 

But when they heard that dreadful roar 
It died into a wail, 

Because that naughty, saucy Boar 
Had chewed the Lion’s tail. 


But, later on, another wail 

Was mingled with that roar; 

Lor when the Lion wagged his tail 
Lie also wagged the Boar. 


* 


— 112 


The Regicides 


|n England once upon a time 
There lived a wicked king, 

The judges said that he must die 
And no more trouble bring. 

But when he had been dead some years, 
His son came back to reign, 

And said those judges then must die 
Who had his father slain. 

Tw r o of them fled across the sea, 

The sheriff followed fast, 

But in a cave upon a hill 

They hid themselves at last. 

The people from the country round 
Their every want supplied; 

Each day they brought them food and 
drink 

And helped them well to hide. 

[in English history , the Regicides were the 
men who had taken part in , or who favored , the 
execution of King Charles I. At the period of 
the Restoration , that is , in I (WO, when the mon- 
archy under Charles II was re-established 
( 4660), a number of regicides suffered death , 
while others escaped by flight or concealment .] 


The Battle of San Jacinto 

In the great battle of San Jacinto, 
See what a scrape the Mexicans got 
into, 

Thcr^ fought it at a fearful cost, 

The state of Texas then they lost, 

In the battle of San Jacinto. 

[April 21, 1836.] 


Missouri Compromise 

IIn eighteen twenty the statesmen wise 
Passed the Missouri Compromise, 
Which gave the South to slavery, 

But in the North made all men free. 

In eighteen hundred, fifty-four 
This country rang from shore to shore, 
With loud protest and angry roar, 
Because the North was made to yield 
And see that Compromise repealed. 


Theodoric 


HEODORIC, 

A Goth so slick, 

Lived at the Eastern Court, 

The king agreed 
To let him lead 
People of every sort 
To Italy 
So prettily. 

With kinsmen all 
Both great and small 

He started for the west, 

The land he took, 

His king forsook, 

And ruled it for the best. 

[Theodoric the Great , King of the East Gotlts 
(4 71— 520 invaded Italy in 4SS and 

repeatedly defeated Odoacer, leader of the native 
tribes , and finally killed him.] 


— 113 — 








James II 

ing James the Second 

Ran away from his throne ; 
He had not the sense 
To hold fast his own. 

[Reigned 1685-88.] 



William and Mary 

William and Queen Mary, 

They were a loving pair: 

They ruled the English people well, 
But never had an heir. 

[Reigned 1689-1702.] 



Queen Anne 

^ueen Anne was short, and fat, and stout, 
But always good and kind ; 

So when she died the people thought 
Her like they’d never find. 

[Reigned 1702-14.] 


T5he Curfeicv 

illiam, the Conqueror 
Forced his people all 
To put out their light 
On every night, 

Cover the fire 
And then retire, 

As soon as the dark did fall. 



— 114 — 
























































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;t -s i9<5 









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